Our economy, which must also be sustained and continue to grow in order to advance human development, is considered by many to be the primary sphere. But in reality, we see it is a subset of the social sphere as the economy exists within human society. Without stable, equitable societies, the economic system is also inherently unstable. And, of course, human life and society is a subset of the greater environment and ecology – and therefore our economy, and indeed our existence, depend entirely on the stability and sustainability of our environmental systems.

Companies, organisations and governments are an integral part of all three pillars. They comprise the majority of our economies; they are central to our social interactions and social cohesiveness; and they are in some way involved in the vast majority of consumption of the resources of resources of our planet.
In order for the planet to be sustainable, our businesses and organisations must be sustainable – and their employees and members must act sustainably as individual members of society too. Organisations are also a central link connecting communities and influencing how they interact. It is essential that these interactions between organisations and their stakeholders are ethical and socially responsible, so that these links can endure.

These organisations are in the critical position of being able to educate themselves, their employees, suppliers, customers and members about sustainability, and then mobilise capital and large numbers of people to pursue the goal of sustainable development.