Abstract:

The production of manufactured goods has impacts on sustainability at all levels: environmental, social and economic (Bom et al., 2019), starting from the design phase of the product throughout the selection of ingredients, manufacture phase, packaging, transport and distribution, retail, consumer usage and disposal (Martins and Marto, 2023). Sustainability, as defined by the 1987 Brundtland report (United Nations, 1987), centers on “meeting the needs of current generations without comprising the future generation to meet their own needs.

The concept has further extended to include environmental, social and economic impacts of individuals, companies and institutions (Ong et al., 2024), forming a three-pillar model which marks the complexity of the multiple dimensions of sustainability (Elkington, 2004; Martins and Marto, 2023; Purvis et al., 2019). To guide global action, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda with 17 Sustainable Development Goals that seek to balance those three pillars through international partnership (United Nations, 2015). Through sustainability reporting and specific targets, companies can demonstrate commitments, anticipate risks, and set objectives for future actions.