DID YOU KNOW?

25 TERMS FOR 2025

by Rebecca L. Lucore

January 27, 2025

This comprehensive list of 25 sustainability terms, ranging from carbon neutrality and energy efficiency to ESG frameworks and green computing, will help you navigate and become more familiar with key industry terminology.

1. carbon footprint.
   A carbon footprint measures the amount of carbon dioxide and methane produced by individuals, organizations, products or practices.
2. carbon neutral.
   The ideal balance between carbon dioxide emissions produced by human activity and carbon absorption by the atmosphere; the calculation should come to zero.
3. circular economy.
   The circular economy keeps products in circulation to the fullest extent possible by reducing material consumption, streamlining processes and collecting waste for reuse.
4. clean tech.
   Technologies and processes that are meant to limit negative environmental impact, such as waste and carbon emissions, especially in comparison to fossil fuels. Examples of clean technologies -- sometimes referred to as green technologies or eco-technologies -- include solar power, wind power, biofuels, recycling and smart lighting.
5. climate mitigation.
   The process of decreasing the flow of heat-trapping pollution. For example, reducing fossil fuel burning by using renewable energy sources may help.
6. climate resilience.
   The ability to support a community, company or the natural environment before, during and after a climate event in a timely, efficient manner. Climate resilience differs from climate adaptation, but the two are often used synonymously.
7. climate risk.
   As wildfires, droughts, food scarcity, hurricanes and other climate change effects happen, businesses face increased vulnerability. Climate risk describes that vulnerability. It is the potential for climate change to create negative effects on human or ecological systems. Risks fall into two main categories: risks based on the transition to a greener economy, such as losing market share by moving away from fossil fuel-based products, and risks related to the physical effects of climate change, such as flooded offices.
8. closed-loop.
   A production process that reuses material waste to create additional products or repurpose recycled materials.
9. corporate social responsibility (CSR).
   For-profit companies use the CSR business model to gauge social and environmental benefits alongside organizational goals such as profitability.
10. drawdown.
    A drawdown is the point at which atmospheric greenhouse gas levels stop climbing and start declining.
11. energy efficiency.
    The same task or result is achieved with less energy. For example, heating, cooling and operating appliances and electronics are less energy-intensive in energy-efficient homes and buildings. 
12. environmental justice.
    Environmental justice aims for fair treatment of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income equally regarding environmental laws, regulations and policies. The approach holds that no group should bear a disproportionate share of negative environmental consequences.
13. ESG framework.
    A set of objectives companies can use in their ESG reporting.  A variety of ESG frameworks exist to help companies evaluate their environmental and social impact and assess their internal governance policies, as well as their risks and opportunities.
14. global warming.
    Global warming refers to Earth's heating from trapped greenhouses gases resulting from human activities such as transportation, agriculture, overfishing, fossil fuel energy production and overconsumption. Unless companies, governments and consumers make major shifts, global warming and climate change will heat the planet so much that it will be unlivable in the near future.

15. green computing. The sustainable approach to using computing devices and equipment is green computing. Some methods include reducing resource use, responsible disposal of e-waste and deploying energy-efficient IT equipment.
16. greenhouse gas emissions. The sum of emissions of various heat-trapping gases. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides and fluorinated gases such as hydrofluorocarbons.
17. greenwashing. Deceptive, misleading or false claims or actions that an organization, product or service has a positive environmental effect is called Greenwashing. Whether intentional or unintentional, the practice is detrimental.
18. impact investing. An investing strategy that directs money towards companies that create a measurable, positive change in the world. This may also be called socially responsible investing.
19. materiality assessment. A materiality assessment is a formal way of assessing stakeholders' commitment to specific ESG issues and calculates an organization's ESG score. It works by identifying the impact of a certain issue on a company's performance and competitiveness in the market.
20. net zero. The result of lowering greenhouse gas emissions as close as possible to zero and balancing remaining emissions with removals.
21. Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change that aims to limit global warming to a 1.5°C temperature increase by the end of the century. The Agreement was adopted at the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference.
22. scope 1, 2, 3 emissions. Developed by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, scopes give organizations a way to categorize their emissions. Organizations may find it easier to control scopes 1 and 2, but scope 3 emissions are the most difficult to track.
    1. scope 1 emissions. The direct emissions generated by an organization's operations. Running machinery, manufacturing products, driving vehicles, heating buildings and providing power to devices generate emissions.
    2. scope 2 emissions.The indirect emissions generated by an organization's energy purchase and usage. Investment in renewable energy sources may help lower these emissions.
    3. scope 3 emissions.The indirect emissions generated by an organization's customer and supplier activities.
23. supply chain traceability. In sustainability, traceability not only identifies, tracks and traces materials and commodities, but it also verifies sustainability claims across the value chain.
24. triple bottom line (TBL). According to the TBL accounting framework, the bottom lines calculate financial performance alongside environmental and social effects.
25. zero waste. The concept of managing products, packaging and materials responsibly to minimize environmental harm.