Glossary
These are the definitions that I live by, discovered after deeply researching the science, philosophy, and systems behind each topic for the last 10 years. The definitions were written by me, unless otherwise quoted. Each definition’s scientific grounding and main inspirations are cited as sources.
Sustainability
Sustainability is a dynamic system with three main interconnected sub-systems:
human behaviour (people)
environmental (ecological, planet)
industrial (economic, profit).
The field of sustainability science studies the interconnections in the sustainability system. Sustainability can be achieved when the three sub-systems co-exist in balance.
SOURCES
DE VRIES, B. J. M. (2012). SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS. HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.1017/CBO9780511794469
EHRENFELD, J. & HOFFMAN, A. (2013). FLOURISHING: A FRANK CONVERSATION ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY. REDWOOD CITY: STANFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS.HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.1515/9780804786676
WORLD COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT. (1987). REPORT OF THE WORLD COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT: OUR COMMON FUTURE. HTTP://WWW.UN-DOCUMENTS.NET/OUR-COMMON-FUTURE.PDF
Circularity
Circularity has existed for millennia. It’s an approach and mindset of keeping materials and the Earth’s resources in use for as long as possible before disposing of them.
Today, circularity is generally used to refer to the 3 principles of the circular economy:
Design out pollution, toxicity and waste
Keep products and materials in use to preserve value
Regenerate natural systems
The circular economy is an economic system that decouples economic growth from resource use by reducing waste and recirculating resources. There are two sides to the circular economy: regenerative and technical.
The circular economy offers strategies to implement circularity, is an alternative to the currently dominant linear economy, and is a tool to achieve sustainability.
SOURCES
ELLEN MACARTHUR FOUNDATION. (N.D.). FINDING A COMMON LANGUAGE — THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY GLOSSARY. HTTPS://WWW.ELLENMACARTHURFOUNDATION.ORG/TOPICS/CIRCULAR-ECONOMY-INTRODUCTION/GLOSSARY
ELLEN MACARTHUR FOUNDATION. (N.D.). WHAT IS THE MEANING OF A CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND WHAT ARE THE MAIN PRINCIPLES?. HTTPS://WWW.ELLENMACARTHURFOUNDATION.ORG/TOPICS/CIRCULAR-ECONOMY-INTRODUCTION/OVERVIEW
HACKENHAAR, I. C., MORAGA, G., THOMASSEN, G., TAELMAN, S. E., DEWULF, J., & BACHMANN, T. M. (2024). A COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK COVERING LIFE CYCLE SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT, RESOURCE CIRCULARITY AND CRITICALITY. SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION, 45, 509–524. HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.1016/J.SPC.2024.01.018
HYSA, E., & ÇELA, A. (2023). CIRCULARITY, ENVIRONMENT, AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. IN REFERENCE MODULE IN SOCIAL SCIENCES. ELSEVIER. HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.1016/B978-0-44-313776-1.00096-9
ZOTTI, J., & BIGANO, A. (2019). WRITE CIRCULAR ECONOMY, READ ECONOMY’S CIRCULARITY. HOW TO AVOID GOING IN CIRCLES. ECONOMIA POLITICA, 36(629–652), 24. HTTPS://WWW.SEMANTICSCHOLAR.ORG/PAPER/WRITE-CIRCULAR-ECONOMY%2C-READ-ECONOMY%E2%80%99S-CIRCULARITY.-ZOTTI-BIGANO/7EF9886C9BD83917A721D1A0B8049BB803269A4A
Regeneration
Fitting within the circular economy, there is the regenerative economy, which focuses on biological, natural, and renewable resources, materials, and practices.
“A regenerative economy, solution, practice, or business is designed to generate value while restoring the biosphere, and its capacity to provide ecosystem services.” - Manuel Maqueda (Harvard professor)
The biosphere is all organic life on Earth (including humans), which means it encompasses all ecosystems.
An ecosystem, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is “a functional unit consisting of living organisms, their non-living environment and the interactions within and between them.”
Ecosystem services are defined by the IPCC as “ecological processes or functions having monetary or non-monetary value to individuals or society at large.” Examples include purifying water and air, sequestering (storing) carbon, and providing food and resilience.
Unhealthy soil cannot naturally perform ecosystem services.
Therefore, regeneration looks at how to actively improve the health of ecosystems, and that can be done by boosting soil health and biodiversity so that ecosystem services can naturally occur. Regenerative materials can biodegrade and safely return to the earth.
SOURCES
ELLEN MACARTHUR FOUNDATION. (2022, MAY 23). THE BIOLOGICAL CYCLE OF THE BUTTERFLY DIAGRAM. HTTPS://WWW.ELLENMACARTHURFOUNDATION.ORG/ARTICLES/THE-BIOLOGICAL-CYCLE-OF-THE-BUTTERFLY-DIAGRAM
INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE (IPCC). (2022). ANNEX I: GLOSSARY.IN GLOBAL WARMING OF 1.5°C: IPCC SPECIAL REPORT ON IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING OF 1.5°C ABOVE PRE-INDUSTRIAL LEVELS IN CONTEXT OF STRENGTHENING RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, AND EFFORTS TO ERADICATE POVERTY (PP. 541–562). APP, CAMBRIDGE: CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS. DOI:10.1017/9781009157940.008. HTTPS://WWW.IPCC.CH/SR15/CHAPTER/GLOSSARY/
MAQUEDA, M. (2023). REGENERATIVE ECONOMICS [COURSE]. HARVARD EXTENSION SCHOOL. HTTPS://COURSEBROWSER.DCE.HARVARD.EDU/COURSE/REGENERATIVE-ECONOMICS/
Systems Thinking
According to Donella Meadows, a system is "a set of elements or parts that is coherently organised and interconnected in a pattern or structure that produces a characteristic set of behaviours, often classified as its 'function' or 'purpose'”.
Therefore, systems thinking looks at the interconnected relationships of a system’s elements or parts rather than looking at them in isolation, which allows us to see how the elements or parts interact to produce a system’s behaviour.
Systems thinking allows us to solve, or at least understand, the root causes of complex problems while identifying unintended consequences.
(Generally speaking, a system is unsustainable if it consumes resources more quickly than they can regenerate.)
SOURCES
DE VRIES, B. J. M. (2012). SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS. HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.1017/CBO9780511794469
MEADOWS, D. (2008). THINKING IN SYSTEMS: A PRIMER (D. WRIGHT ED.). CHELSEA GREEN PUBLISHING.
Ecodesign
Ecodesign, relating to the European Union’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, looks at how a product can be designed to be more sustainable by having a lower environmental impact and be more circular by improving quality, durability, repairability, upcyclability, and recyclability.
Designing products and systems for circularity and regeneration prioritises eco-effectiveness (how to have a positive impact on the environment and actively improve the health of ecosystems) instead of eco-efficiency (which looks at reducing negative environmental impact while efficiently using resources).
SOURCES
EUROPEAN COMMISSION. (N.D.). ECODESIGN FOR SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS REGULATION. HTTPS://COMMISSION.EUROPA.EU/ENERGY-CLIMATE-CHANGE-ENVIRONMENT/STANDARDS-TOOLS-AND-LABELS/PRODUCTS-LABELLING-RULES-AND-REQUIREMENTS/ECODESIGN-SUSTAINABLE-PRODUCTS-REGULATION_EN
SDCOURCES. (N.D.). ECO-EFFECTIVENESS. HTTPS://COMMISSION.EUROPA.EU/ENERGY-CLIMATE-CHANGE-ENVIRONMENT/STANDARDS-TOOLS-AND-LABELS/PRODUCTS-LABELLING-RULES-AND-REQUIREMENTS/ECODESIGN-SUSTAINABLE-PRODUCTS-REGULATION_EN
SDCOURCES. (N.D.). ECO-EFFICIENCY. HTTPS://SDCOURSES.ORG/GLOSSARY/ECO-EFFICIENCY/
If you’re curious to know my definition for other terms on the website, I recommend contacting me so that I can keep the Glossary updated, and while you wait for the update, explore The Sustainable Fashion Glossary by Condé Nast.