Glossary of Sustainability and Sustainable Project Management™

 Current Count 307 Terms | Updated February 22, 2025

A |  B |  C |  D |  E |  F |  G |  H |  I |  J |  K |  L |  M |  N |  O |  P |  Q |  R |  S |  T |  U |  V |  W |  X |  Y |  Z

A

Accountability: Willingness to accept appropriate scrutiny and a duty to respond to this scrutiny.

Adaptability: Ability to adjust to new conditions or changes in the environment.

Adaptive Capacity: The ability of systems, institutions, and communities to adjust to potential damages or opportunities arising from environmental changes, ensuring resilience and sustainability.

Adaptive Management: A structured, iterative process of decision-making in the face of uncertainty, with an aim to reduce uncertainty over time via system monitoring.

Afforestation: Planting trees in an area where there was no previous tree cover to increase forest cover and biodiversity.

Alternative Energy: Energy generated from non-traditional sources (e.g., solar, wind) that are renewable and have lower environmental impact than fossil fuels.

Agile Principles: Set of principles for software development under which requirements and solutions evolve through the collaborative effort of self-organizing and cross-functional teams.

Air Acidification: The acid substances present in the atmosphere are carried by rain. A high level of acidity in the rain can cause damage to forests. The contribution of acidification is calculated using the acidification potentials of the substances concerned and is expressed in the H+ mode equivalent.

Air and Water Quality: Minimizing the impacts of the project’s activities and product on air and water quality.

Anthropogenic Climate Change: The changes in the Earth's climate that are caused by human activities. This includes the release of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and other industrial processes. The term “anthropogenic” means “caused by humans”.

Anti-Corruption: Rejecting offers of or requests for gifts, payments, or other benefits to influence the project's activities, results, or outcomes.

Asset Life Cycle: The total lifespan of a product from creation to disposal, including design, production, and use phases.

B

B Corp Certification: Certification of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.

Backcasting: A planning method that starts with defining a desirable future and then works backward to identify policies and programs that will connect that future to the present.

Baseline Emissions: The initial measurement of emissions before any interventions aimed at reduction.

Behavioral Change: Efforts to alter consumer or organizational behaviors to achieve environmental or social sustainability.

Bioaccumulation: Accumulation of substances, such as pesticides or other chemicals, in an organism.

Biocapacity: The capacity of ecosystems to produce useful biological materials and absorb waste materials generated by humans, under current management schemes and extraction technologies.

Biodiversity: Variety of life in the world or a particular habitat or ecosystem, crucial for ecosystem resilience.

Biodiversity Mainstreaming: The process of integrating biodiversity conservation and sustainable use into policies, strategies, and practices across all sectors of society and the economy.

Biodiversity Offsetting: Compensating for biodiversity losses through equivalent biodiversity gains elsewhere.

Bioeconomy: An economy where the basic building blocks for materials, chemicals, and energy are derived from renewable biological resources.

Biomimicry: The design and production of materials and systems that are modeled on biological processes.

Blue Hydrogen: Hydrogen produced from natural gas with carbon capture and storage to reduce emissions.

C

Carbon Accounting: Measuring the amount of carbon dioxide emissions an entity is responsible for, used for regulatory and voluntary reporting.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): The process of capturing carbon dioxide emissions and storing them underground to prevent them from entering the atmosphere.

Circular Economy: An economic model focused on designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems.

Carbon Footprint: The total greenhouse gas emissions directly or indirectly caused by an individual, organization, event, or product, expressed as a CO2 equivalent.

Carbon Intensity: The amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced per unit of output or activity.

Carbon Literacy: Knowledge and capacity required to create a positive shift in how mankind lives, works, and behaves in response to climate change.

Carbon Neutral Supply Chain: A supply chain that has reduced or offset all of its greenhouse gas emissions to achieve net zero carbon output.

Carbon Neutrality: Achieving a balance between emitted carbon and carbon offset by removing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere.

Carbon Offset: Reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases made to compensate for emissions made elsewhere.

Carbon Sequestering: The process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) in a stable form, typically in natural reservoirs such as forests, soil, oceans, or underground geological formations.

Capacity Building: Efforts to enhance the skills, abilities, and resources of organizations and communities to manage biodiversity and environmental challenges effectively.

Carrying Capacity: Maximum population size of a species that an environment can sustain indefinitely.

Change Initiative: is an organized effort by an organization to modify its operations, processes, or culture to achieve specific goals or adapt to new challenges, ensuring effective transition with minimal disruption.

Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO): Corporate executive position responsible for an organization's environmental programs and initiatives.

Circularity: Continuous use of materials in a closed-loop system, ensuring materials are reused, remanufactured, or recycled to reduce waste.

Circular Business Models: Models where products are designed for reuse, recycling, and regeneration, minimizing waste.

Circular Design: Design approach focused on minimizing waste and maximizing the reuse of materials.

Circular Economy: Economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources through principles of reuse, repair, refurbish, and recycling.

Circular Procurement: Purchasing processes that prioritize goods and services that minimize resource use, are reusable, and have been produced sustainably, aligning with the principles of the circular economy.

Clean Energy Return: The process of returning excess energy generated from renewable sources, such as solar or wind, back to the power grid.

Clean Technology: Products, services, and processes that use renewable materials and energy sources, reduce emissions and wastes, and have a minimal impact on the environment.

Climate Change: See also: global warming. The altering of the planet’s climate due to an increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activity.

Climate Change Adaptation: Adjustments in human or natural systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or effects.

Climate Equity: The concept that climate change impacts and responsibilities are unevenly distributed across populations, and actions should ensure fairness, particularly for those most affected but least responsible.

Climate Change Mitigation: Policies and measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gases from companies and governments to lessen global impacts of climate change.

Climate (Change) Resilience: The ability to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to hazardous events, trends, or disturbances related to climate.

Closed-Loop Textile Recycling: Process that recycles textile waste into new fibers or products, reducing the need for virgin resources.

Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR): The principle that while all states are responsible for addressing global environmental degradation, developed countries have a greater responsibility due to their historical contributions to environmental problems and greater financial and technological resources.

Community Engagement: Practice of treating local residents as relevent stakeholders in the project.

Community Impact Assessment: Evaluating the social and environmental impacts of projects or developments on a local community.

Community of Life: Refers to all living beings on Earth and the ecosystems that sustain them. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of all life forms and the need to care for the entire community

Compostable: Organic matter that can be broken down into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass by microorganisms in the environment.

Conservation: Sustainable use and management of natural resources including wildlife, water, air, and earth deposits.

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): The United Nations’ initiative to protect and preserve biological diversity on Earth for future generations.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): A business approach that contributes to sustainable development by delivering economic, social, and environmental benefits.

Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD): An EU regulation requiring companies with over 250 employees or significant revenue to disclose their sustainability practices, including environmental impacts, social policies, and governance structures. It aims to increase transparency and accountability in corporate sustainability reporting.

Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD): Mandates companies to conduct due diligence on their supply chains to identify, prevent, and mitigate adverse human rights and environmental impacts. It applies to large EU companies and non-EU companies with substantial operations within the EU.

Critical Thinking: Objective analysis and evaluation of an issue to form a judgment, crucial for problem-solving in sustainability contexts.

Cruelty-Free: Products that are not tested on animals.

Cultural Awareness: The recognition and understanding of the differences and similarities between cultures.

Cultural Difference: Variety of human societies or cultures in a specific region, or in the world as a whole.

Customer Privacy and Data Protection: Measures to safeguard customer data such as personal information or financial details.

D

Decarbonization: Process of reducing carbon dioxide emissions resulting from human activity in the atmosphere.

Decoupling: Economic growth without corresponding increases in environmental pressure.

Decentralized Energy: Energy produced close to where it will be used rather than at a large, centralized plant.

Deforestation: The process of harvesting forests for natural resources or to clear land for agriculture or construction

Digital Communication: Reducing the consumption of nonrenewable resources by using technology for project communications.

Digital Product Passport (DPP): Tool to create transparency by collecting and sharing product data throughout its entire lifecycle.

Dignity, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DDEI): A set of principles aimed at creating a respectful and inclusive environment where every individual is valued.

Demand-Side Management: Programs or strategies designed to control or reduce energy consumption.

Dematerialization: The process of reducing the total material and energy throughput of any production or consumption system.

Donut Economics: A visual framework for sustainable development shaped like a doughnut, combining the concept of planetary boundaries with social boundaries.

Downcycling: Recycling of a material into a lower quality product.

Dual Materiality: An approach that considers two dimensions of materiality in assessing sustainability issues. It evaluates not only how environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors impact an organization's financial performance ("financial materiality") but also how the organization’s activities impact the environment and society ("impact materiality").

E

E-Waste: Discarded electronic or electrical devices or their parts.

Earned Green Value Management (EGVM):  is a project management framework that integrates sustainability metrics into performance tracking to ensure accountability and progress toward environmental and social goals alongside cost, schedule, and scope objectives.

Ecodesign: The integration of environmental considerations into the design of products to minimize their environmental impact throughout the lifecycle.

Eco-Efficiency: Creating more goods and services with fewer resources and generating less waste and pollution.

Eco-Innovation: The development of products and processes that contribute to sustainable development, through reducing environmental impacts or achieving more efficient resource use.

Eco-Labeling: Labeling system that identifies products or services proven environmentally preferable.

Ecology: The study of the interactions between living organisms and their environment.

Ecological Footprint: A measure of human impact on Earth's ecosystems, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources.

Ecological Integrity: The ability of ecosystems to maintain their processes, diversity, and resilience in the face of external pressures. Protecting ecological integrity involves preserving biodiversity and natural processes.

Ecosystem:  a community of living organisms (plants, animals, and microorganisms) in conjunction with the non-living components of their environment (such as air, water, and mineral soil), interacting as a system.

Eco-System Based Adaptation (EbA): The use of biodiversity and ecosystem services to help communities adapt to the adverse effects of climate change.

Ecosystem Connectivity: The ecological linkages between habitats that allow species to move, disperse, and interact, critical for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem health.

Ecosystem Restoration: The process of aiding the recovery of ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged, or destroyed to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem functions.

Ecosystem Services: Benefits provided by ecosystems that contribute to making human life both possible and worth living.

Eco-Tourism: Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education.

Embodied Energy: The total energy required to produce a product, from the raw materials stage to delivery.

Emissions Trading System (ETS): Market-based approach to controlling pollution by providing economic incentives for reducing emissions of pollutants.

Endangered Species: Species of organisms that are at risk of becoming extinct due to various factors such as loss of habitat or reduction in numbers.

Energy Consumption: Minimizing the amount of energy consumed by the project's activities.

Energy Efficiency: Using less energy to provide the same service or useful output.

Environmental Footprint: Measure of the environmental impact of an individual, organization, or product.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): A process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, considering inter-related socio-economic, cultural, and human-health impacts.

Environmental Justice: The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws and policies.

Environmental Management System (EMS): A set of processes and practices that enable an organization to reduce its environmental impacts and increase its operating efficiency.

Environmental Reporting: Disclosure of a company, city, state, or region’s impact on the environment.

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG): A set of considerations, including environmental issues, social issues, and corporate governance that can be considered in investing.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): A process to evaluate the potential environmental consequences of proposed projects before they are carried out.

Environmental Management System (EMS): A set of processes and practices that enable an organization to reduce its environmental impacts and increase its operating efficiency.

Equitable Benefit-Sharing: The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources, particularly with indigenous peoples and local communities.

Ethical Behavior: Adhering to ethical principles such as respect for human rights, fairness, transparency, and accountability.

Ethical Fashion: Fashion that considers the social and environmental impacts of its production processes, materials, and supply chains.

Ethics and Values: Principles that guide behavior in terms of what is right and wrong, often forming the basis for ethical decision-making.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Policy approach that holds producers accountable for the environmental impacts of their products throughout their life cycle.

F

Fair Competition: Ensuring that all parties wanting to provide products or services to the project have an equal opportunity to compete and win.

Fair Trade: A trade movement aimed at helping producers in developing countries achieve better trading conditions and promote sustainable farming.

Fast Fashion: Business model characterized by rapid production and turnover of inexpensive clothing to align with the latest fashion trends.

Food Miles: Distance food is transported from the time of its production until it reaches the consumer.

Footprint Assessment: Measuring the impact of a project or activity in terms of land, water, energy, or carbon use.

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): International non-profit organization that promotes responsible management of the world’s forests via timber certification.

Fossil Fuel Divestment: The removal of investment assets including stocks, bonds, and investment funds from companies involved in extracting fossil fuels.

Functional Unit: A measure of the function of a product used in life cycle assessment studies to provide a reference for comparison.

G

Geoengineering: Large-scale intervention techniques aimed at affecting the climate, such as solar radiation management or ocean fertilization.

Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF): Framework aiming to halt and reverse nature loss, safeguarding and sustainably using biodiversity.

Global Plastics Treaty: International legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, led by the UN Environment Programme.

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI): An international independent standards organization that helps businesses understand and communicate their impact on critical sustainability issues.

Global Warming: See also: climate change. The increasing of the Earth’s average temperature due to a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activity.

Governance: Frameworks, processes, and relationships by which organizations are controlled and directed.

Governance Standards: Standards and principles that guide the governance practices of organizations to ensure accountability, transparency, and ethical behavior.

Green Bond: A fixed-income instrument designed specifically to support specific climate-related or environmental projects.

Green Building: A building that, in its design, construction, or operation, reduces or eliminates negative impacts, and can create positive impacts, on our climate and natural environment.

Green Economy: Economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities and aims for sustainable development without degrading the environment.

Green Economy Indicators: Metrics used to measure progress towards a green economy.

Green Hydrogen: Hydrogen produced using renewable energy sources, resulting in zero carbon emissions.

Green Infrastructure: A network of natural and semi-natural areas that provide ecosystem services such as water purification, air quality, and recreation.

Green Project Management® (Also see Sustainable Project Management): The application of methods, tools, and techniques to achieve a stated objective while considering the project outcome’s entire lifecycle to ensure a net positive environmental, social, and economic impact.

Green Procurement: Purchasing products and services with a lower environmental impact, considering factors like energy efficiency, recyclability, and minimal toxic substances.

Green Roof: A roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation, providing insulation, reducing stormwater runoff, and improving air quality.

Green Supply Chain Management: Integration of environmentally responsible practices into supply chain activities.
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Greenhouse Gas (GHG): Gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, which trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG): Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, which trap and hold heat in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Minimizing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by project activities and the use of the project product.

Greenhushing: Companies deliberately underreporting or downplaying their sustainability efforts to avoid scrutiny or accusations of greenwashing. This often involves keeping environmental achievements quiet, despite having legitimate initiatives.

Greenlabeling: The use of labels, certifications, or terms associated with environmental responsibility to give the appearance of being eco-friendly, without rigorous standards or third-party verification backing these claims.

Greenlighting: Highlighting a single, relatively minor environmental achievement to distract from other significant areas where the company’s practices may be harmful or unsustainable.

Greencrowding: A tactic where companies hide behind the collective actions of an industry or group to avoid taking individual responsibility for their environmental impact. By aligning with the status quo, they delay making significant changes or improvements.

Greenrinsing: The frequent changing of sustainability targets or commitments to appear proactive. This often involves setting less ambitious or easily achievable goals that do not lead to meaningful environmental improvements.

Greenshifting: Shifting the blame for environmental impacts onto consumers rather than taking corporate responsibility. It implies that it is the customer's duty to make sustainable choices, while the company does little to reduce its own ecological footprint.

Greenwashing: The practice of misleading consumers into believing that a company’s products, services, or policies are more environmentally friendly than they actually are. It involves exaggerating claims or making false statements about sustainability efforts to appeal to eco-conscious customers.

H

Habitat Fragmentation: The process by which habitat loss results in the division of large, continuous habitats into smaller, more isolated remnants.

Habitat Restoration: Process of aiding the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed.

Human Capital: The skills, knowledge, and experience possessed by individuals that contribute to their productivity.

Human Rights: Ensuring that basic needs such as food, clean water, housing, education, and healthcare are met equitably.

Human Rights Impact Assessment: A tool for identifying, understanding, assessing, and addressing potential or actual human rights impacts of business activities.

I

IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards (S1 & S2): Newly released by the International Sustainability Standards Board, these standards aim to harmonize global sustainability reporting.

Impact Investing: Investments made with the intention of generating positive social and environmental impact alongside financial returns.

Impact Lenses: Tools to analyze the impacts of projects and products from different perspectives, including lifespan, servicing, efficiency, effectiveness, and fairness.

Impact Threshold: the acceptable limit or benchmark of impact an organization is willing to tolerate for a specific sustainability element before intervention is required.

Incorporating Externalities: The process of including the indirect costs or benefits of goods and services that affect third parties in the market prices.

Indigenous Peoples' Rights: The legal and human rights of indigenous peoples, especially concerning their knowledge, lands, and biodiversity conservation, which must be respected in environmental policies.

Indigenous Peoples' Role in Sustainable Development: Recognition of the vital role of indigenous and local communities in environmental management and development due to their traditional knowledge and practices

Industrial Ecology: The study of material and energy flows through industrial systems to improve sustainability.

Intergenerational Equity: The concept that the present generation has a responsibility to ensure that future generations inherit a healthy and sustainable world.

Integrity: The quality of being respectful, honest, fair, and having strong moral principles.

Invasive Species: Non-native species that cause harm to the environment, economy, or human health by disrupting ecosystems, outcompeting native species, or spreading diseases.

ISSB (International Sustainability Standards Board): An international body established to develop a comprehensive global baseline of sustainability disclosure standards.

J

Just Transition: Ensuring that as economies shift towards low-carbon and environmentally sustainable practices, the process is fair and inclusive to all, including workers and communities.

K

Kyoto Protocol: An international treaty that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the premise that global warming exists and is primarily driven by human activities.

L

Labor Practices and Decent Work: Policies and practices to ensure fair wages, safe working conditions, and opportunities for growth.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED): A green building certification program used worldwide.

Leadership for Sustainability: Practice of guiding and influencing others towards achieving sustainability goals through ethical behavior, vision, and strategic thinking.

Life Cycle Thinking: Consideration of the environmental impacts of a product or service throughout its entire life cycle.

Life Cycle Orientation: A methodology for assessing impacts on society and the environment, associated with all the stages of the life-cycle of a product, process, or service.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): A method to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life, from raw material extraction through materials processing, manufacture, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, and disposal or recycling.

Lifecycle Costing: A process of evaluating the total economic worth of a project by considering all costs of ownership over its lifetime.

Local Procurement: Purchasing products and services from local suppliers.

Logistics: Ensuring environmentally friendly transportation of items to and from the project.

Low Carbon Economy: An economy based on low carbon power sources that therefore has minimal output of greenhouse gas emissions.

M

Material Circularity Indicator (MCI): Measure of the extent to which a product or company is circular.

Materiality: Determining the relevance and significance of an issue to an organization and its stakeholders. A material issue is an issue that will influence the decisions, actions, and performance of an organization or its stakeholders.

Microgrid: A localized group of electricity sources and loads that normally operates connected to and synchronous with the traditional centralized grid.

Mitigation Hierarchy: A sequence of actions to reduce the negative impacts on biodiversity: avoid, minimize, restore, and offset.

Montreal Protocol: An international treaty agreed upon in 1987 to phase out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS), such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

N

Natural Capital: The world's stocks of natural assets, including geology, soil, air, water, and all living things.

Nature-Based Solutions: Actions that use natural processes and ecosystems to tackle social challenges like climate change, food security, or disaster risk.

Natural Capital Accounting: A method of calculating the total stocks of natural resources and the flows of ecosystem services they provide, to understand their contribution to the economy and human well-being.

Net Positive: An approach to project development and design that aims to create a positive environmental, social, or economic impact.

Net Positive Impact: An approach that aims for the positive impacts of a project or organization to outweigh its negative impacts, especially in terms of biodiversity, social, and environmental benefits.

Net Zero: A state in which the greenhouse gases emitted by an entity are balanced by the removal or offset of an equivalent amount from the atmosphere.

Noise Pollution: Minimizing the noise produced by the project activities to reduce impact on the surrounding environment and communities.

O

Offsetting: The practice of compensating for emissions by reducing emissions elsewhere.

Operational Boundary: The scope of emissions considered in an organization’s carbon footprint, including direct and indirect emissions.

Organizational Culture: The values, beliefs, and behaviors that shape how an organization's employees interact and work together.

Organizational Learning: Process of creating, retaining, and transferring knowledge within an organization to improve its practices and performance.

P

Paris Agreement/Accord: A legally binding international treaty on climate change, adopted at COP21 in Paris in 2015. Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.

People Impacts: Effects of project activities and results on individuals, society, and communities.

Permaculture: Design philosophy that works with nature to create sustainable systems.

P5™ Impact Analysis (P5IA™): Also called a Sustainability Impact Analysls™ (SIA™): A structured and comprehensive approach to evaluating an organization’s or project’s impacts on society, the environment, and the economy. It extends beyond the Triple Bottom Line—economic, environmental, and social dimensions—by integrating measurable indicators and aligning them with strategic sustainability objectives. A robust SIA framework identifies, analyzes, and prioritizes impacts to enhance positive outcomes, mitigate risks, and operationalize sustainability through data-driven decision-making, ensuring long-term value creation for all stakeholders.   Download the template

P5 Standard: A GPM^® standard that integrates sustainability into project management and business practices, addressing the five Ps: People, Planet, Prosperity, Process, and Product. Download The P5 Project Management Standard | Download the P5 Business Standard

Planetary Boundaries: Limits within which humanity can safely operate to avoid destabilizing the Earth's systems, such as biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution.

Pollution: Presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance that has harmful or poisonous effects.

Pollution Prevention: Actions aimed at reducing or eliminating the release of pollutants into the environment, especially those harmful to biodiversity and ecosystems.

Polluter Pays Principle: The concept that those who produce pollution should bear the costs of managing it to prevent damage to human health or the environment.

Precautionary Principle: The concept that precautionary measures should be taken to prevent environmental harm even if some cause-and-effect relationships are not fully established scientifically.

Product Stewardship: Approach to managing the environmental impacts of products throughout their life cycle.

Program: A set of interrelated projects and activities that are designed to achieve specific goals and objectives.

Program management: A strategic approach to managing a group of related projects and activities that are aligned with an organization's goals and objectives. It involves coordinating multiple projects in a way that maximizes their collective impact and delivers benefits that could not be achieved by managing each project separately.

Project: A temporary endeavor designed to create a unique product, service, or result. It is characterized by its specific objectives, defined scope, and finite duration.

Project Impact Assessment: Structured process for evaluating the potential impacts (positive or negative) of a project on society, the environment, and the economy.

Project Portfolio: A collection of projects and programs that an organization has undertaken or plans to undertake. It represents the overall investment of time, resources, and money in various initiatives aimed at achieving specific objectives.

Project portfolio management: A strategic approach to managing an organization's projects and programs in a coordinated way. It involves identifying, prioritizing, and selecting the right projects or programs to undertake, based on their alignment with the organization's goals and objectives.

Project Supply Chain: Network of organizations and activities involved in the production, delivery, and management of project resources and outcomes.

PRiSM (Projects integrating Sustainable Methods): A project management method that integrates sustainability principles throughout the project lifecycle. PRiSM focuses on reducing environmental impact, enhancing social benefits, and ensuring economic viability by embedding sustainable practices into project processes. It utilizes tools such as the P5 Impact Analysis and Sustainability Management Plan (SMP) to guide decision-making and align projects with organizational sustainability goals, from planning through execution and closure. This approach ensures that project outcomes contribute positively to long-term environmental, social, and economic objectives.

Project Sustainability Management (PSM): The application of sustainable practices in project management to enhance environmental, social, and economic performance.

Public Policy and Compliance: Ensuring that the project complies with relevant laws and regulations.

Q

Quadruple Bottom Line (QBL): An extension of the Triple Bottom Line that includes cultural aspects in addition to social, environmental, and economic factors.

R

Reductionist Thinking: (in sustainability) is an approach that simplifies complex systems by isolating components for analysis, often overlooking the interconnectedness essential for addressing systemic challenges.

Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs): Tradable certificates that prove that one megawatt-hour of electricity was generated from a renewable energy source.

Regenerative Agriculture: Approach to farming that works to regenerate topsoil and enhance biodiversity.

Regenerative Capacities: Refers to the natural ability of ecosystems to renew themselves and sustain life. It underscores the need for production and consumption patterns that support these capacities.

Regenerative Design - A design approach in the serivce of life. It is a forward-thinking approach that minimizes negative impacts and actively seeks to enhance and regenerate social, ecological, and economic systems.

Regenerative Development: Development in support of life. It is an approach that restores, renews, or revitalizes sources of energy and materials.

Regenerative Sustainability: The practice of restoring, renewing, and revitalizing natural, social, and economic systems to create conditions where life can thrive indefinitely. It goes beyond minimizing harm by actively replenishing resources, strengthening ecosystems, and enhancing the well-being of communities.

Whereas sustainability aims to maintain balance, regenerative sustainability recognizes that true sustainability can only be achieved once we have repaired the damage done. It is an approach that ensures projects, industries, and societies contribute to the health and resilience of the systems they depend on, rather than merely reducing their negative impact.

Renewable Energy: Energy from sources that are naturally replenishing but flow-limited; renewable resources are virtually inexhaustible in duration but limited in the amount of energy available per unit of time.

Renewable Resources: Natural resources that can be replenished naturally with the passage of time.

Renewables and Clean Energy Return: Minimizing the use of non-renewable energy sources and maximizing the amount of renewable energy generated by the project’s activities or product.

Resilience: The capacity of a system, community, or society potentially exposed to hazards to adapt, by resisting or changing in order to reach and maintain an acceptable level of functioning and structure.

Resilience Building: Actions or strategies aimed at increasing the capacity of systems, communities, and ecosystems to recover from disruptions, such as climate change or natural disasters.

Resource Efficiency: Using the Earth's limited resources in a sustainable manner while minimizing environmental impact.

Responsible Investment: Investing in companies or projects that meet certain standards of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria.

Responsible Technology: Considering ethical, legal, and social implications when running projects involving new or emerging technologies.

Right to Development: The idea that development must meet the needs of both present and future generations in an equitable manner, ensuring that environmental protection is integral to the process.

Rio Declaration: Adopted at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Earth Summit, the Rio Declaration consists of 27 principles that guide sustainable development around the world.

Risk Mitigation in Sustainability: Actions taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risks associated with environmental and social challenges.

S

Science-Based Targets: Emission reduction targets set in line with the latest climate science to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative): a global body enabling businesses to set ambitious emissions reductions targets in line with the latest climate science.

Scope 1, 2 & 3 emissions: Scope 1 emissions refer to direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that occur from sources that are controlled or owned by an organization. This includes all land-use emissions from companies that own or control land to produce agricultural and forest-risk commodities. Scope 2 emissions refer to indirect GHG emissions associated with any purchases of electricity, steam, heat, or cooling. Scope 3 emissions are the result of activities from assets not owned or controlled by the reporting organization, but that the organization indirectly impacts its value chain. This includes the emissions linked to downstream companies where sourced commodities are being produced from forest-risk products through the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector (GHG Protocol).

Shared Value: Policies and practices that enhance the competitiveness of a company while simultaneously advancing economic and social conditions in the communities in which it operates.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 17 social goals established by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs to promote prosperity while protecting the planet.

Social Impact: Effect of an activity on the social fabric of the community and the well-being of individuals and families.

Social License to Operate: refers to the ongoing approval and acceptance granted by a community or stakeholders to a business, project, or organization, based on trust, transparency, and the perception that the entity operates responsibly, ethically, and with respect for social and environmental values.

Social Return on Investment (SROI): A method for measuring and accounting for the value created for society by a project or activity.

Stakeholder Orientation: Business framework that ensures all stakeholders are considered in decision-making processes, leading to better sustainability outcomes.

Strategic Alignment: Process of aligning an organization's structure and resources with its strategy and business environment to achieve long-term goals.

Sustainability: The practice of meeting current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own. It involves a balance across environmental, social, and economic dimensions, ensuring long-term health and resilience of both human and natural systems.

Sustainable Development: Defined by the Brundtland Report as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." It emphasizes a balanced approach that integrates environmental stewardship, social equity, and economic growth.

Sustainability Intervention Plan (SIP): A strategic approach used to incorporate sustainable practices into projects or organizational operations. It outlines the specific actions, resources, timelines, and responsible parties for implementing sustainability initiatives, including monitoring progress and adjusting strategies to achieve targeted sustainability outcomes.

Sustainability Impact: The effect that an organization, project, or activity has on environmental, social, and economic systems, both positive and negative.

Sustainability Impact Analysis (or Assessment) (Also see P5 Impact Analysis): Sustainability  A structured and comprehensive approach to evaluating an organization’s or project’s impacts on society, the environment, and the economy. It extends beyond the Triple Bottom Line—economic, environmental, and social dimensions—by integrating measurable indicators and aligning them with strategic sustainability objectives. A robust SIA framework identifies, analyzes, and prioritizes impacts to enhance positive outcomes, mitigate risks, and operationalize sustainability through data-driven decision-making, ensuring long-term value creation for all stakeholders.

Sustainabiliity Management Plan: A GPM construct (document) that outlines how sustainability will be managed throughout a project. The SMP includes components like P5 Impact Analysis, roles and responsibilities, performance indicators, and mitigation strategies. It serves as a blueprint to maintain sustainability practices and report progress across all project phases . Download the template

Sustainable Project: a temporary endeavor designed to create a unique product or service. It is characterized by its ability to create long-term value for all stakeholders while minimizing negative impacts on the environment and society.

Sustainable Project Management (also see Green Project Management®):  The application of methods, tools, and techniques to achieve a stated objective while considering the project outcome’s entire lifecycle to ensure a net positive environmental, social, and economic impact.

Sustainability Reporting: Practice of measuring, disclosing, and being accountable to internal and external stakeholders for organizational performance towards the goal of sustainable development.

Sustainability Reporting Standards: Guidelines and frameworks that provide organizations with a systematic approach to reporting on sustainability performance and impacts.

Sustainable Business Model: Business model that creates, delivers, and captures value for all stakeholders without depleting the natural, social, and economic capital it relies on.

Sustainable Business Practices: Business methods that are socially responsible, environmentally friendly, and economically viable over the long term.

Sustainable Competencies: Skills, knowledge, and abilities required to effectively contribute to sustainable development within an organization.

Sustainable Consumption and Production: The use of services and related products, which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources and toxic materials as well as the emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 for the year 2030, intended to be a 'blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all'.

Sustainable Development: Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Sustainable Finance: Investment and financial practices that consider environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors to ensure long-term economic growth.

Sustainable Procurement Practices: Policies and practices to supply the project with sustainably purchased resources.

Sustainable Procurement: Process of purchasing goods and services that takes into account the social, economic, and environmental impact that such purchasing has on people and communities.

Sustainable Production: Production methods that minimize waste and emissions and use fewer resources.

Sustainable Supply Chain: Supply chain that integrates environmental and social considerations in all aspects of product procurement, production, and delivery.

Sustainable Tourism: Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social, and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities.

Systems Thinking: A holistic approach to analysis that focuses on the way that a system's constituent parts interrelate and how systems work over time and within the context of larger systems.

T

Take-Back Programs: Programs in which manufacturers or retailers take back used products for recycling or proper disposal.

Territorial Emissions: Greenhouse gas emissions that are produced within a country's borders.

Thermal Efficiency: A measure of how well a system converts heat into work or usable energy.

Time Value of Carbon: The principle that reducing emissions sooner is more beneficial for the climate than the same reduction achieved later.

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): An analysis of the complete cost of acquiring and operating an asset over its life cycle.

Transboundary Cooperation: Collaboration between neighboring countries or regions to conserve and manage shared ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources.

Transition Risk: The financial risk that results from the shift towards a low-carbon economy, including policy changes, technology developments, and market shifts.

Transformation: Thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance, often referring to significant organizational change to improve performance.

Transparency: The willingness to disclose in a clear, accurate, and complete manner, and to a reasonable and sufficient degree, the policies, decisions, and activities for which one is responsible, including their known and likely impacts.

Transport: Policies and practices to make a project's transport activities more sustainable.

Traveling and Commuting: Limiting unnecessary travel and ensuring minimal environmental impact from travel-related activities.

Triple Bottom Line (TBL): An accounting framework that evaluates a company’s performance on three pillars: social (people), environmental (planet), and financial (profit).

True Cost Accounting: An approach that incorporates environmental and social costs into the pricing of goods and services.

Trusteeship: The concept that businesses hold resources in trust for society and are responsible for using them sustainably.

U

UN Global Compact: Non-binding United Nations pact to encourage businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation.

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A set of 17 global goals designed to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all by 2030.

Universal Responsibility: The ethical principle that all individuals, organizations, and nations share responsibility for the well-being of humanity and the larger community of life on Earth

Upcycling: The process of transforming waste materials or unwanted products into new materials or products of higher quality.

Urban Heat Island Effect: The phenomenon where urban or metropolitan areas become significantly warmer than their rural surroundings due to human activities.

Urban Mining: The process of reclaiming raw materials from old products, buildings, and waste streams found in cities.

V

Values: Principles or standards of behavior that are considered important in a particular society or organization.

Value Chain: The full range of activities involved in the production, marketing, and delivery of a product, including the social and environmental impacts of each stage.

Vertical Farming: The practice of growing crops in stacked layers or vertically inclined surfaces to reduce the land use footprint.

Voluntary Carbon Market: A market where companies and individuals can buy carbon credits to offset their greenhouse gas emissions voluntarily, rather than as required by regulations.

W

Waste Hierarchy: The prioritization of waste management activities to prevent waste creation, reduce it at the source, reuse materials, recycle, recover, and dispose of waste in a way that minimizes environmental impact.

Waste-to-Energy: The process of generating energy in the form of electricity or heat from the primary treatment of waste.

Water-Energy-Food Nexus: An approach that integrates the management of water, energy, and food resources to improve sustainability, recognizing the interconnections between these critical sectors.

Water Footprint: The total volume of freshwater used to produce the goods and services consumed by an individual or community.

Water Neutrality: Balancing water use by reducing consumption and replenishing water sources to offset usage.

Water Stewardship: The responsible management of water resources, focusing on sustainable use and reducing environmental impact.

Whole of Life: Considering the entire lifespan of an asset or product, from creation to disposal, to understand its total environmental impact.

Wildlife Corridor: An area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities or structures.

Whole-Life Costing: The total cost of ownership over the life of an asset, including acquisition, operation, maintenance, and disposal costs.

X

Xeriscaping: A form of landscaping that reduces the need for irrigation by using drought-resistant plants.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): A policy approach where producers are responsible for the end-of-life management of their products.

Y

Yield Gap: The difference between the actual agricultural production and the potential maximum production based on optimal management practices.

Z

Zero Emissions: No release of pollutants into the environment.

Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV): A vehicle that emits no exhaust gas or other pollutants from the onboard source of power.

Zero Waste: A philosophy and design principle that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused or recycled, and no trash is sent to landfills or incinerators.

Others

1.5 degrees celsius: The target set by the 2015 Paris Agreement as the global average temperature compared with pre-industrial history. Scientists generally agree that global temperatures must be kept well below 2 degrees – ideally 1.5 degrees celsius – to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.