Sustainability gets its mitts into everything. It’s supposed to be mainly about alleviating global warming by reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, burning less fossil fuels, and switching to solar, wind and other alternative energy sources. Because it’s such a huge subject, however, it overlaps and overspills into many other areas and efforts.

To give sustainability some context, so users have a better chance of working with it, the United Nations Global Compact introduced its environmental, social and governance approach in 2004. This was followed by the U.N.’s 17 sustainable development goals adopted in 2015. They’re the core of an agenda for 2030 that provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. Each goal has multiple targets and related actions, events and publications. Eleven of the goals mention sustainability, while the others cover poverty, hunger, health, education and gender equality, which must also be addressed to slow climate change.

As usual, one helpful component riding to the rescue is process control and automation.

Installments

1. Side benefits of going green: System integrator PDA pursues adaptable CO₂ technologies and increasingly recyclable PET plastics.