Sustainable DEvelopment: The Key for Future Generations

The most commonly used definition of sustainable development is still that given in the report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (1987), i.e. sustainable development is ‘a process to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ Sustainable development is therefore about creating a better life for all people in ways that will be as viable in the future as they are at present. In other words, sustainable development is based on principles of sound husbandry of the world’s resources, and on equity in the way those resources are used and in the way in which the benefits obtained from them are distributed (Making Tourism More Sustainable, 2005).

Sustainable development means that the present generations should be able to make use of resources to live better lives in such a manner that it does not compromise the ability of future generations. For sustainable development to occur, there needs to be sustainable economic, ecological and community development. Society needs to be educated about ways in which they can use resources, especially natural, in such a manner that it does not cause harm to the environment and put future generations lives at risk.

The universal definition of Sustainability, defined in the Brundtland Report back in 1987 and quoted by Mulder (2007) is “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

For illustration, for more than half a century The Coca Cola Company had put its emphasis on protecting the environment. In 1956, The Coca Cola Company set a goal of protecting our world and environment. Since then the company conducts researches about environmental issues consistently, and is considered as a revolution maker in regards to environment and Sustainability topics. In addition, in 1991 the first beverage bottle was made from

The concept of sustainable development has become a major topic among intellectuals from various fields. Sustainable development has gone through various changes in its definitions and at present does not have a commonly accepted definition. The origination of the concept of sustainable development is debatable. In 1974 at a conference on Science and Technology for Human Development by the World Council of Churches the concept of a “sustainable society” is believed to have been first noted. This early concept focused on equitable distribution of scarce resources and the need for democratic decision making. In 1980 the currently used term of sustainable development emerged in the

Sustainability is defined by The Brundtland Report as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” which is an ongoing issue that many strive to improve (lisd.org, 2015). Through the three pillars of sustainability, a balance is constantly worked towards through attempts to efficiently manage social equity, the environment and the economy (lisd.org, 2015) (EPA.Gov, n.d.).

Sustainable development means “ meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”

Coca-Cola is in the business of making and selling drinks that people love, but they want to do it in a way that takes care in the world around us by saving natural resources, cutting down on waste and reducing greenhouse gases. Of course this means looking at their own operations, but at the same time at the whole picture from how they source their ingredients, to what happens after a drink gets enjoyed. So they are working with their suppliers to encourage them to save energy, inventing new packaging made from recycle plastic or even plants. In their factories they try to only use the electricity and water they really need, they transport their products in ways that keep down carbon emissions. And they cool their drinks in fridges

Coca-Cola is a largest beverage company in the globe, which is the four of the world’s top five non-alcoholic sparkling beverage brands. Most time Coca-Cola tries every effort in developing, expanding products and also building the relationships with national and international stakeholders. Partnerships comprises of consumers, suppliers, government, NGOs and communities. These members underpin the company development and play a significant role in sustainable development.

That Sustainable development is a very simple idea. It is about ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come.

Packaging is another vital part of their environmental goal. Currently, the main packaging materials Coca-Cola use are glass, aluminum and PET plastic. Just recycling this type of packaging is still not fully aligned to their goals. The company's innovation team found a technology in India which allows them to create PET bottles from 30% renewable material (Zegler, 2011). Moreover, Coca-Cola has been working to reduce its climate impact by setting up the goal to reduce 25% of carbon footprint by 2020. Refrigeration is the largest source of carbon emission of Coca-Cola’s value chain. In order to achieve this goal, Coca-Cola has brought in over 2.5 million HFC-free coolers and sell machines into the beverage market in the end of 2016 (Journey Staff, Coca-Cola, 2017).

Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for future generations.

World Commission on Environment and Sustainability (Brundtland Commission, 1987), defines sustainable development as the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. Further sustainability is defined as the achievement of policies and procedures which are environmentally sound, economically viable and socially just as per the description given by The University of Wisconsin

Sustainable development is defined as “Development that meets the needs of the present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (IISD, par. 1 ).

Sustainable development is defined in many methods, but the official definition is explained through Our Common Future: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains two key concepts: the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world 's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment 's ability to meet present and future needs.” From my point of view, there are three key points existing in this explanation: the needs of each class in the society, the limitation of development as well as the demands of present and future generation. These three points will be analyzed in detail below.