Sustainability is one of those words that gets used so often it stops meaning anything. It's on coffee cups and corporate reports and Instagram bios. Brands slap it on products the way they used to slap "natural" on things that were 90% chemicals. So it's worth going back to what the word actually means, where it came from, and why it matters way beyond your keep cup.
the actual definition
The most cited definition comes from the 1987 Brundtland Commission, a UN body that spent four years studying the relationship between economic development and the environment. They landed on this: meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
That's it. No jargon. The core idea is balance across time. Can what we're doing right now keep going without breaking something that matters later?
The UN Sustainable Development Goals carry that framework forward with 17 specific targets for 2030, covering everything from clean water to gender equality to responsible consumption.
three dimensions, not one
Most people hear "sustainability" and think "environment." But the concept has always had three dimensions that need to work together. If you only address one, you're not actually solving the problem.
| dimension | the question it asks | what failing looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | Are we using resources faster than they regenerate? | Deforestation, ocean acidification, species extinction, carbon overshoot |
| Social | Are the benefits and costs shared fairly? | Exploitative labour, displacement of communities, health inequity, cultural erasure |
| Economic | Can this system keep running without collapse? | Short-term extraction, debt-fuelled growth, industries that can't survive without subsidies |
A solar farm that displaces Indigenous communities isn't sustainable. A fair-trade company that goes bankrupt every two years isn't either. Genuine sustainability sits where all three dimensions overlap. That's harder to achieve, which is why so many things labelled "sustainable" only address one dimension.
where your money fits in
Here's where it gets personal. You might cycle to work, bring your own bags, eat less meat. Those choices matter. But the biggest sustainability lever most young Australians have isn't in their shopping trolley. It's in their bank account and super fund.
Your savings account, your super, any investments you hold. All of that money is being used. Banks lend it. Super funds invest it. And where it goes shapes which industries grow and which ones don't.
what australia's big four banks actually fund
A report by Market Forces tracked lending by Australia's big four banks to fossil fuel companies since the Paris Agreement in 2015. The numbers are worth seeing:
| bank | fossil fuel lending since Paris Agreement | 2023 lending |
|---|---|---|
| ANZ | Over $20 billion | Largest cumulative lender |
| NAB | Second largest | $1.4 billion (largest in 2023) |
| Westpac | Mid-range | $784 million ($533m to expansion projects) |
| Commonwealth Bank | Lowest of the four | $271 million (still funded Beetaloo Basin pipeline) |
Combined, these loans are estimated to have enabled the release of 9 billion additional tonnes of CO2. For context, that's roughly 21 times Australia's total emissions reduction target for 2021-2030.
This doesn't mean you need to leave your bank tomorrow. But it does mean that where your money sits is a sustainability decision, whether you think about it that way or not.
three things you can actually do
Sustainability as a concept is huge. As a set of personal actions, it's simpler than it looks:
1. check your super
It's probably your largest single investment and you've probably never looked at what it's invested in. Most super funds now offer an ethical or sustainable option. Switching takes ten minutes online. Market Forces estimates around $150 billion of Australian retirement savings are currently tied to climate-damaging companies. Yours might be part of that. MoneySmart's super comparison guide helps you evaluate options.
2. question what "sustainable" actually means on any product or fund
The word has no legal protection. Anyone can use it. When a fund calls itself sustainable, check what that means in practice. What do they exclude? What do they actively seek? Is there a published methodology? The RIAA independently certifies funds that meet genuine responsible investment standards. If it's not certified, it might still be good. But you'll need to verify the claims yourself.
3. start small, but start with intention
You don't need to overhaul your entire life. Pick one financial decision and apply the three-dimension test: is this good for the environment, fair to people, and economically viable long-term? If you're starting to invest, our beginner's guide to sustainable investing walks through the options.
sustainability and investing
The reason this article exists on an investing platform is that how you invest is one of the highest-leverage sustainability decisions available to you. The money in your super, your savings, your investment account. It's already being put to work. The question is whether it's working toward the future you want or against it.
RIAA's benchmark data shows responsible investment funds have matched or outperformed conventional peers over 1, 3, 5, and 10-year timeframes. The idea that you sacrifice returns by investing sustainably is a myth that the data has repeatedly contradicted.
At inaam, we screen every holding across five pillars: health, energy, waste, food systems, and responsible consumption. Each pillar maps to specific UN SDGs. You can see exactly how on our methodology page. If you're curious which sustainability themes matter most to you, the money values quiz takes two minutes.