Chapter 03 · Reporting & strategyStrategy, Targets & Performance Management
Corporate sustainability
Definition
Corporate sustainability is a business approach that creates long-term stakeholder value by addressing the environmental, social and governance dimensions of a company's activities and decisions. The OECD frames it around ensuring that businesses operate responsibly across their operations and value chains; practitioner definitions commonly describe balancing economic, environmental and social performance — the three pillars — for present and future generations.
References
institutional framing
practitioner definition
Overview
What it means
Sustainability treated as strategy and governance rather than philanthropy or compliance add-on.
How it is used
The term anchors corporate strategy documents, board oversight, sustainability reporting and investor engagement; it overlaps with, but is more strategy-focused than, CSR.
Why it matters
Corporate sustainability is the operating frame behind sustainability strategies, targets, disclosures and due-diligence systems that regulators and investors now scrutinise.