ABSTRACT
Elkington coined the term “triple bottom line,” which translates the lofty sustainability concept into a practical application. The basic assumption of the triple bottom line is that the three kinds of capital social, environmental, and economic must all be protected, or even renewed, in order for an activity to be called sustainable. Vertical sustainability aims to sustain, either by protecting or even increasing, the social, environmental, and economic capital involved for the future. The 2007 subprime mortgage crisis, with devastating effects on the global economy, was based on unsustainable behavior. In 2015, the United Nations proposed a series of Sustainable Development Goals for achieving global sustainable development, comprising 17 goals, and six central enablers for achieving these goals. In order to reach the desired state of sustainable development, each sector must implement a responsible practice focused on sustainability. The governmental sector’s most powerful contribution consists of the making and implementation of laws and public policy measures for sustainable development.
