What is a primary definition of sustainability?

The primary definition of sustainability revolves around the concept of meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It focuses on the balance between environmental, social, and economic factors, ensuring that resources are used responsibly and preserved for the long term.

Sustainability reporting refers specifically to the communication of an organization’s sustainability performance by disclosing how it manages its impacts on the economy, environment, and society. While important, it is a process related to measuring and articulating sustainability rather than defining the core concept itself.

Sustainability development, while a close alternative, generally describes a process aimed at continual improvement in sustainability practices, without encapsulating the complete definition on its own.

Sustainability performance would focus on measuring how well an organization or entity is doing in the pursuit of sustainability, but like sustainability reporting, it is more about outcomes rather than the foundational definition of sustainability itself.

Thus, the correct choice that encapsulates the broad and foundational definition is simply “sustainability.”