ABSTRACT
Much of the information provided to bankers and financiers, on the environment and other aspects of 'sustainability', is produced by people and institutions that have a cause, and who see it as part of their job to enlist others in that cause. Eco-efficiency is there, and is important, as a necessary component of environmental sustainability. Alicia Barcena, former director of the Earth Council, suggests that 'sustainability' encompasses the five 'E's: ethics, equity, environment, economy and empowerment. The original meaning of 'profit' comes from the Latin word proficiere, to 'advance' or 'be advantageous'. Responsibility comes from the Latin respondere, 'promise in return', carrying with it a moral and ethical obligation. More often than not, 'sustainability' is shorthand for 'environmental sustainability'. But therein lies a problem that everyone concerned with banking and finance must address, namely: the environment cannot be sustained in a vacuum.
