University Case Study on Environmental Sustainability: TBL Framework

This case study delves into the multifaceted concept of environmental sustainability, emphasizing the critical need to protect the natural world for future generations. It explores the triple bottom line (TBL) framework, encompassing social, economic, and environmental dimensions, and its role in sustainable development. The study examines economic, environmental, and social measures, highlighting the importance of TBL in promoting business accountability and transparency. Furthermore, it discusses sustainable construction and its contribution to a more sustainable future. The case study underscores the challenges and key features of sustainability, advocating for a holistic approach to address environmental problems, economic crises, and social inequalities. The document also emphasizes the significance of the TBL in sustainable development. The TBL framework is implemented in the business in order to expand the stakeholders’ knowledge of the company further than the existing ideas.

Running head: CASE STUDY ON ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Case Study on Environmental Sustainability
Name of Student:
Name of University:
Author’s Note:

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Introduction:
Environmental sustainability basically involves individuals, communities as also the
countries which act in order to protect the natural world. This is done because the environmental
capacity to support the human life needs to be preserved for the coming generations. It is an
extremely important topic because the people understand the complete impact of the businesses
and the individual persons that it can have on the environment. The economic development
taking place cannot compromise the need for the future generations. The concept of sustainable
development aimed at encouraging people to maintain the ecological balance and reduce
anything that causes problems to the environment.
Based on historic reports, the industrialised countries account for the bulk of emissions of
green house gases. The consequential reductions in the emissions however can be attained only
through an approach which comprises the new markets as well. Environmental sustainability
involves taking actions in order to protect the natural world; the emphasis needs to be given on
preserving the environment’s capability to support the human life. It also includes the decisions
that actually reduce the detrimental impact of the business on the environment. It is concerned
with the development of the processes that help the businesses become completely sustainable in
future. The impact of sustainability requires to be tackled carefully and also its solution needs to
be understood. In order to implement positive changes, it is necessary at first to establish a
business case in order to assess the feasibility of environmentally sustainable practices.
Executing a cost benefit analysis will help in comparison of the benefits of practices which are
ecologically sustainable.

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There is also a competitive edge which is possessed by the environmentally sustainable
businesses. It is felt at the time of attracting the customers and investors. This is due to the
existing awareness of the present day customers about the environmental and social issues as
also information about the businesses that act responsibly in the community. Increasing
awareness is present among the investors as well regarding the issues and is responsible for
development of an increasing trend towards the investment in environmentally sustainable
companies.
The consumer conscience contributes significantly to the method by which the people
choose the services which they wish to buy and also from which business. It is also influenced by
several numbers of factors that include the popular opinion, the media, friends, family as also the
personal values. Consumers are better educated about the impact of their actions and the active
of the business can have on the surroundings.
Triple bottom line:
The triple bottom line is basically an accounting framework that incorporates three
particular performance dimensions, namely social, fiscal and ecological. Triple bottom line
basically means three lines, namely social line, economic line and the environmental line. The
TBL framework is different from the traditional framework of reporting as it includes the
environmental or ecological frameworks as also the social measures which are difficult to assign
as suitable means of measurement. There is another connotation for the triple bottom line. It is
also known as the three P’s. These include the concept of people, planet and profits (Glac 2015).
There is not a common unit of measuring the three P’s. There cannot be unsuitable units
of measuring the social capital or the environmental or the ecological health. Thus finding a unit

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of measurement which is common to all the three P’s is a challenging task. There have been
discussions where the monetizing of all the dimensions of the TBL has been discussed. The
social welfare as also the environmental damage is discussed. It was suggested that dollar be
considered as a common unit of measurement for the three factors. Despite this, objections were
faced from many sections of the people as to putting a dollar value on the wetlands or the species
which are endanged or even on philosophical grounds. The search for the correct price for the
lost wetlands or even for the endangered species is questioned (Savitz 2013.).
Another solution that has been given to the problem is the calculation of the TBL in index
form. In case this procedure is adopted, all the incompatible units can be eliminated and a
universally accepted method of accounting can be adopted. It facilitates the comparison of
entities, the comparison of several factors including the company performance, in case of cities
as well as development projects and several other benchmarks. There are several innovation
indices, focussing on the calculation of the necessary factors. Indices also include the concept of
subjectivity (Griggs et al. 2013).
Economic Measures:
The economic variables usually are concerned with the concept of bottom line, flow of
money and other economic aspects. It also includes the aspects of taxes, incomes, expenses,
business climate factors, employment as well as the diversity in business. Some examples of the
economic measures include the concept of the personal income, the size of establishment, churn
of establishment, growth of job opportunities, and percentage specific sector firms as also the
revenue accounting to the causal gross state product.
Environmental Measures:

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The variables relating to the environment represent the measurements of the natural
resources and also comprise of the influences to the viability. It includes the air and water
quality, consumption of energy, natural resources, solid and toxic waste as also the land use and
the land cover. Wide range of trends available for each of the available for each of the ecological
variables assist organisations assist the impact of a project on the particular area chosen.
Social Measures:
The social variables are nothing but the social dimensions of a particular region or
community and can include educational measurements, equity and also access to the social
resources, well-being, health, quality of life as also the social capital. The potential variables
include the rates of unemployment, participation rate of female labour force, median income of
household, the percentage of higher-secondary qualified population, violent crimes per capita,
health adjusted life expectancy and so on (Willard, 2012).
The triple bottom line is basically used by businesses in order to acquire anecdotal
evidences of greater long term profitability. The business utility of the triple bottom line is huge
and far reaching.
Sustainable development:
Sustainability is basically defined as the expectations of bettering the social and the
ecological performance of the present generation without compromising on the capability of the
future generations to meet their social and economic needs. The concept of the sustainable
development can be interpreted in many different ways. It basically needs to balance the
different competing needs against awareness regarding the environmental, social and economic
limitations a society faces (Rogers, Jalal and Boyd 2012). In the Common future or the

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Brundtland report also the Common Future, the concept of sustainable development was
discussed. In many cases the concept of sustainable development has been considered by many
researchers as the maintenance of essential ecological procedures, preservation of the genetic
diversity and also the sustainable use of species and ecosystems. Sustainability is a normative
concept regarding how humans need to react in connection to nature. At the same time they also
need to be responsible for future generations (Holden, Linnerud and Banister 2017).
Relationship of TBL with Sustainable Development:
There are basically three conditions that need to be met in case of a sustainable society.
The rates of the use of the renewable resources should not exceed the rates of their generation.
The rates of the non-renewable resources should not exceed the rate at which sustainable
substitutes are developed and the rates of emission of pollution should in no way exceed the total
assimilative capacity of the environment (Gimenez, Sierra and Rodon 2012).
Significance of TBL in Sustainable development:
TBL is a significant contributory factor in the sustainable development. The TBL
framework is implemented in the business in order to expand the stakeholders’ knowledge of the
company further than the existing ideas. It goes beyond the economic or financial aspects and
discusses the impact of a company on different aspects of the world around it. The concept of
TBL involves the additional reporting framework, the reports are clearly stated and it is
relatively easier to communicate with the stakeholders of the company (Griggs et al. 2013). The
information that are discussed in the reports need to be re-evaluated at periodic intervals in order
to ensure that the expectations which are outlined in the report are met. In case the impact of a
certain constraint is not significant, the company needs to evaluate the reason behind the low

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impact or the contribution and modify their report or plan accordingly in the future. It can safely
be said that the contribution if the TBL in the context of sustainable development is extremely
important and significant. The TBL method of reporting highlights the fact that the business is
taking accountability of the company to higher level. This helps in maintaining the overall trust
in the company and raises the expectations in the organisation. In situations where problems are
faced regarding the diminishing resources, the consumers have been made more alert and aware
of the true amount of impact that the businesses of different segments have on the world at large.
It is possible for every person or individual involved in the process of TBL to increase the
overall knowledge of the company (Nikolaou, Evangelinos and Allan 2013.).
Sustainability:
There are several key features of sustainability including the conceptualizations, the
discussion on the economic, social, environmental change, the policies of the environment, the
economic de growth the living standards and poverty, the resource scarcity and poverty as also
the planning and communication. It also involves the development use as well as the indication
of indicators as well as indices, the reviews of regions, the scientific academies, the supply chain
and investment processes, the production systems, sustainability models as also the search for
causality between the environmental as well as social dimensions also the identification of
challenges (Barkemeyer et al. 2014).
There are several challenges to sustainability as well which include the implementation of
environmental protection standards, capturing of the external impacts beyond the local level,
recognising the social sustainability, human development, balanced production and consumption,
the promotion of education, the development and maintenance of environmental resources, use

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of the holistic approaches, population awareness, usefulness of a standard benchmark between
the countries, reconciliation of local objectives along with the overall objectives, balancing the
pillars of sustainability, dynamic indicators of sustainability, public participation in the planning
as well as participation of science as well as technology. Sustainability is concerned with the
awareness of the environmental problems, economic crisis as well as the social inequalities, as it
is a complex as well as an ongoing concept (Kuik, and Verbruggen 2012). The field of
sustainability is emerging and is characterised by a wide variety of subjects, social and natural
systems, including the flow of information, materials as well as waste. There needs to be a
balance which needs to be found at the triple bottom line. The concept of sustainability needs to
be understood and the policies need to be properly implemented (Christen and Schmidt 2012).
Sustainable construction:
In the world of construction the buildings have the capacity to make a major contribution
to a more sustainable future for the planet. It has been seen from reports that the buildings in the
developed countries contribute to more than forty percent of the total energy consumption in
their entire lifetime. The sustainable construction aims to meet the present day needs for the
housing, working environment, infrastructure and so on. This is done without compromising on
the ability of the generations in future to meet their needs. The issues of economic efficiency,
environmental performance and also that of the social responsibility are included and contribute
to a maximum extent when the architectural quality, the transferability and the technical
innovation are included (Hwang and Tan 2012). Sustainable construction includes the issues
such as design, management of buildings, materialistic performance, construction, technology
and the procedures, energy and the resource efficiency in building, operation and maintenance,
robust products and the technologies, the long-term monitoring, adherence to the ethical

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standards, socially viable environments, occupation health and safety, working conditions,
innovative financing models, improvement of the existing contextual conditions,
interdependencies of the landscape, infrastructure, urban fabric and architecture, function and
change, flexibility in building use, the dissemination of knowledge in the connected technical,
academic and social contexts (Global Reporting Initiative 2014).
The concept of sustainable construction goes beyond the concepts of the practices of
green building, the structures designed to have a lower environmental impact over their entire
lifetime. This is done while not compromising on the level of comfort, durability and
functionality for the particular occupants. In other words, in case of sustainable construction, the
companies are allowed to grow without growing at the expense of the environment. The
sustainable construction has several significant long term effects and it allows the businesses to
play their part in the environmental protection on a regular basis. Such a workplace also makes
the sustainability efforts much easier. It also benefits the society as well as local communities as
a whole.
Significance of TBL in sustainable construction:
TBL is important in the context of sustainable construction. It impacts the social,
economic and also the environmental aspects. In case of the sustainable construction, the
industry comprises the develop, plan, design, alter and also building or maintaining the
environment including the material manufactures and suppliers as also the clients and the end use
occupiers. The sustainable construction involves the keeping up and getting the edge, the
management of the environment as also the social performance. The proper measure of
sustainability is required and the goals that are advocated by sustainability are also are required.

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The significance of the TBL needs to be understood in terms of the sustainable construction and
the issue needs to be understood.
Global Reporting Initiatives:
The global reporting initiative is basically an international independent standards
organisation which helps the businesses, governments as well as the other organisations to
understand and also discuss the impact on issues like climate change, human rights as well as
corruption (Fernandez-Feijoo, Romero and Ruiz 2014). This organisation helps in preparing the
sustainability reports on organisations. It also explores the multifaceted and the multidimensional
aspects of any particular organisation. This helps in understanding the way in which companies
and big organisations are faring in terms of their approaches to the sustainability and their
responsibility towards the protection of their environment (Alonso‐Almeida, Llach and Marimon
2014).
Sustainability report on a construction company:
In case of the chosen country Australia there are several construction companies which
provide valuable support in terms of taking part in the most powerful constructions in the
country. The major buildings and malls as well as complexes are built by several successful
business companies in Australia.
Introduction:
The name of the chosen Australian construction company is Innovative constructions.
The construction company is one of the oldest in Australia. It was established in the early 1900s.
More than five thousand projects have been completed by the company in the past century. The

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company is also responsible for creating several premier buildings in Australia. The landmark
buildings have been created by the valued and powerful team of professionals of the company.
The portfolio of the company is impressive and is extremely varied. The works of the company
include construction of the buildings in the health sector, education sector, commercial sectors,
defence sector projects and also industrial sector projects. All the projects undertaken by the
company are completed within the stipulated time frame allotted to them and find praise for their
precision and beauty from all and sundry. This impressive line of work by the company is
responsible for the fact that every client prefers them for their construction requirements. The
proper view of the business holistic approaches, it is found that guidance is provided to the
clients, the options are given to them to choose from. It never happens that the company
representatives offer wrong guidance to the clients in case of expensive projects. It is also seen
that the wealth of attained experience through prolonged service is driven by the company’s
commitment to effectively serve their clients. In the form of a trusted partner, the company is not
only completely invested in the projects they undertake but also in the corporate success due to
cultivation of a long term outlook. The major positive aspect of the company is the stability and
the integrity that is constantly offered to the clients. All these features make the company unique
and innovative and a favourite among all the people vying for choosing a construction company
to suit their needs.
Strategies and Analysis:
In case of the commercial sector, the company believes in maximising value of the owner
or the user. Every commercial development is carefully analysed and always there is the need for
smarter and innovative ways to design, construct and also program it. Along with the depth of
experience, the staff builds the projects in their heads before a draft is provide to the clients. This

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is done to avoid issues in future and also to keep the agenda of innovation intact. It is due to this
strategy that the company has received several fit-out projects and also build 6-star designs
which are absolutely new and one of a kind in Australia.
In case of community plans, the company always tries to remain at the grass root level.
The company always believes in delivering buildings and constructions along with the
infrastructure which promotes culture, enrichment of communities, as also engender a sense of
belonging. Be it the iconic art galleries, stadiums or museums. There are no said limits on the
size, complexity or region. The level of expertise is evidenced in case of projects like the
Sydney’s upgrades or the restoration or any iconic building. There is always the inherent need to
manage the programs and the budgets along with working with different layers of the
government for non-profit organisations in order to create projects which are a source of delight
to the communities.
Organisational profile:
The organisational profile involves the characteristics of the company’s product and
services. It has already been discussed that the construction services of the company are wide
and far reaching. Apart from this, the values also define it successfully. The company possesses
the values of being upfront, progressive, involved as well as trusted.
The organisation is true and accountable in all of its business relationships. It is
understood that the strong and productive relationships are at the heart of the success of the
project. The challenges faced are addressed early and proactively and is always working to get
the best solutions. The upfront and the transparent approach implies that at the beginning of each