This blog has been updated March 2023.
You've probably come across a bunch of sustainable terms and abbreviations by now. If you look for information about sustainability, you will come across a lot of different terms that may still be foreign to you. But what are they and what do these terms entail? In this blog we explain a number of these sustainable terms, which also makes reading sustainable vacancies a bit easier!
What does Sustainability mean?
Sustainability is the balance between people, the environment and the economy in order not to exhaust the earth. It is important that the current generation takes good care of the environment, so that no problems with the earth arise for the generations to come. If all fossil fuels are consumed now, there will be a major problem for future generations. CO2 emissions and global warming are also matters that are grouped under the concept of sustainability.
The concept of sustainability can be divided into four topics: mobility, energy, raw materials and food. Mobility includes everything with transport. What can you change about this? For example, you can buy an electric car, travel less by plane or even work from home to spend less time on the road by car. Energy includes everything that has to do with the greening of the economy. The energy points that can be used for this, which are sustainable, are wind or solar energy. The subject of raw materials includes everything you buy, all things stuff. Recycle all your plastic bottles or devices that no longer work, buy refurbished phones or laptops and use reusable bags for your bread/vegetables/fruit. Finally, the subject of food. The way in which our food is produced can and must do much more in the light of climate, plants and animals. What you can do with this is eat more plant-based, consume less meat and buy locally. Food waste is also a major issue here.
What does CSR mean?
CSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility. This means that a company is aware of the impact of the environment and people. They are thinking of the balance between people, the environment and the economy (PPP). Companies that focus on corporate social responsibility are actively committed to adding value to society. CSR is not an end in itself, but a continuous process to make things better. As a company you are 1-0 ahead if you are CSR. Greenjobs.nl is a member of MVO Nederland, a network organization that is committed to Corporate Social Responsibility.
What does Circular Economy mean?
What does Circular Economy actually mean? A circular economy is a production and consumption model in which existing materials and products are shared, rented out, reused, repaired, refurbished and recycled for as long as possible to create more value. This extends the life of the product. In practice this means that waste is kept to a minimum. When the product reaches the end of its life, the material is kept as economical as possible. These can be used efficiently again and again to create more value. An advantage of this is the reduction of CO2 emissions. Other benefits are the reduced pressure on the environment, the contribution to innovation, job growth and improved security of supply of raw materials.
What does ESG mean?
What do the letters ESG stand for? The abbreviation ESG stands for Environmental (environment), Social (society) and Governance (governance). ESG stands for the search for a balance between financial and economic results, transparency, social importance and the environment without losing the balance between them. Contrary to popular belief, this balance seems to lead to better results for companies and society.
What are SDGs?
What are the UN's 17 SDGs? SDGs are 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. With the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, all member states of the United Nations want to work towards a sustainable future. The 193 countries that are members of the United Nations (UN) have agreed 17 global goals for sustainable development to tackle the major climate problem. The core of the Sustainable Development Goals, or Sustainable Development Goals, are to end extreme poverty, inequality, injustice and climate change. Instead of just talking about aid from rich to poor countries, the development agenda now applies to all countries. The goals provide a global compass for challenges such as the climate crisis, inequality and injustice. The situation is different in every country, but these global goals apply to all countries and all people. In addition, countries themselves also work on their own goals and where possible contribute to the (overarching) goals of other countries. The idea behind the global goals is that no one is left behind and that everyone should have the opportunity to build a better future. Check out the Blog about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of Greenjobs.nl for a further explanation!
What is a B Corp?
You may see it more and more, organizations that are a B Corp. Organizations such as Triodos Bank, Seepje, Too Good to Go and Greenjobs.nl has this B Corp certificate, but what exactly is a B Corp? B Corp stands for Benefit Corporation. The Corp Certification mark has been issued since 2006 B Lab. B Lab assesses your organizational policies, activities and goals in the areas of society, people and the environment. The slogan of B Corp is "business as a force for good", using your company to make a positive impact on the world, having a profit motive and creating a positive impact for people and the environment can go well together! Greenjobs.nl has been B Corp for 2.5 years and will recertify itself this year. You can read more about Greenjob.nl's B Corp certification in the blog 'Why Greenjobs a B Corp is'.
What is the IPCC report?
The IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) is a report on our climate. The latest version from 2022 caused a lot of commotion, many societies worldwide are at risk from climate change. The IPCC is a UN committee that conducts research into climate change. The committee has been around for a while, it was established in 1988 to inform the world in a scientific way about the risks of climate change and to see how we can combat climate change. For the World of Tomorrow wrote an extensive article about the IPCC report, highly recommended if you want to read more about it.
What is a climate quitter?
After the corona pandemic, the term 'silent quitter' was heard more often, but have you heard the last term and do you already know what a 'climate quitter' is? A climate quitter is someone who quits his job because of the lack of a clear mission about a sustainable contribution from the employer to climate and/or society.
This trend appears to be particularly prevalent among the Gen Z, Gen Y and Millennials generation. Greenjobs.nl is of course happy to help all 'climate quitters' with a job full of impact!
Greenjobs.nl hopes to have helped you with explaining these sustainable terms! Missing any terms? Send us an e-mail to info@greenjobs.nl and we will make sure to add it on this list of explained sustainable terms!
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