ABSTRACT
Mads Øvlisen, until recently the Chief Executive of the Danish pharmaceutical and enzymes company, Novo Nordisk 1 offers his preferred definition of sustainable development at the outset of many of his public talks as being: ‘A way of dealing with the planet as if it is on loan from our children rather than inherited from our parents.’ 2 This striking and poetic metaphor invariably and rightly resonates well with his audience. Certainly, it provides a more accessible insight into the essence of sustainable development than most of the many hundreds of more technical definitions available.
