Busting global sustainable economy jargon

Do you know the difference between a green economy and a feminist economy? Confused by acronyms like CSR and RBC? And what are Business and Human Rights Guiding Principles anyway?

A sure way to lose public interest in and support for building a sustainable global economy is to overwhelm people with jargon. But there is great unexplored potential in business enterprises shifting away from the path of ‘business as usual’ towards one of sustainability. That is why we prepared a glossary to demystify commonly used terms and concepts related
to sustainable economies.

This handy tool will help you understand who are the important actors in the transition to a global sustainable economy. The private sector encompasses organisations of multiple forms and sizes, ranging from those whose purpose is to create shareholder value to more people-centred businesses. From those that operate in the formal economy to those working in the informal economy. For example, our glossary can help you understand the differences between a European company producing sugar in Tanzania for export and an Indonesian woman farmer selling fair trade nutmeg on the international market via a producers’ cooperative. While all these private actors are extremely diverse, they have a crucial role to play in delivering Agenda 2030.