Sustainability is the capacity to continue without progressively degrading the conditions that make continuation possible.
It extends beyond environmental protection, carbon reduction and resource efficiency. Organisations depend upon ecological integrity, human and social capability, institutional legitimacy, economic viability, trusted relationships and access to resources. Weakening these foundations may improve performance today while reducing the capacity to adapt tomorrow.
Sustainability therefore requires attention to consequences across time and beyond organisational boundaries. Efficiency may reduce waste, but an efficient system can still consume human capability, degrade ecosystems, weaken communities or transfer costs to others and future generations.
Sustainability preserves the conditions necessary for continuation; regeneration goes further by restoring and strengthening the capacity of living systems to renew and flourish.