Environmental Performance Evaluation - The Link Between Management Systems and Reality

Abstract

Since the term “Sustainable Development” was keyed by the Brundtland Commission in 1987, it has modified the environmental agenda and become a focal point in the political debate. The term has survived and gained momentum even if, or rather because, it is ambiguous and difficult to define. The term is central to policymaking even if it can sound a bit like an old hat when confronted with the serious problems of unemployment, the lack of economic growth and the sosial disrubtance that caracterizes most European countries at the end of the century. The environmental challenge is no fad. The climate issue alone will ensure a global political attention on environment for decades to come and the need for action will grow stronger for every year. The question will never be if but how to promote sustainable development.