1. Production Engineering Department
Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo - Brazil
Production Engineering Department
WHEN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT RISKS LOSING ITS MEANING. DELIMITING THE CONCEPT WITH A COMPREHENSIVE LITERATURE REVIEW AND A CONCEPTUAL MODEL
Journal of Cleaner Production 83 (2014) 7-20
Ivan Bolis
Sandra N. Morioka
Idal Sznelwar

2. 1. Introduction
The concept of sustainable development still needs more scientific discussion to be useful for decision making processes.
The polysemy of the term sustainability has undermined the credibility of the concept, leading, among other effects, to the inability to translate discourse into practical actions and to distortive appropriations of the term.
The purpose of this article is to propose a basis for discussion to demarcate the concept.
In this context, a comprehensive literature review was conducted on the theme, encompassing an exploratory approach and a systematic hermeneutics analysis of the literature. 2

3. 2. Research methods
1- Exploratory review of the literature to identify publications on
sustainability and sustainable development, considering linked
keywords and cited references.
2- Hermeneutic analysis of a specific sample of articles identified by means of a structured method.
ISI Web of Science paper research: (“sustainability” OR “sustainable development”) AND (concept* OR review* OR theor*).
First article sample with 438 articles.
With Sitiks bibliometric software program analysis was built a classification of the most cited articles from the first article sample (in the figure).
For the hermeneutic analysis, we used the first 12 publications of the second sample 3

4. 3. Results - Exploratory review
* Note: (WS) Weak sustainability; (SS) Strong sustainability 4

5. 3. Results - Hermeneutic analysis
Some common points from the 12 publication:
The multidisciplinary aspect of sustainability
Sustainability challenges require the integrated efforts of several disciplines
- It is necessary to reach ecological and economic stability,
With the depletion of natural resources no human life will be possible
- The main goal of sustainable development is society's well-being
- Technological innovation plays an important role, but is not enough to solve the related issues,
There is the need for greater flexibility in human systems, to enable adaption to
dynamic and variable situations
A long term effective solution is a fundamental issue on morality:
Cooperative solutions need to be discussed and supported by mankind
The basic material needs of each person on Earth are satisfied
Each person has an equal opportunity to realize his individual human potential 5

6. 4. Discussion
A - Sustainable development is based on environmental issues: the environment represents a constraint because the limitations of natural resources have a direct impact on the economy and, ultimately, on society.
B - Sustainable development is an anthropocentric concept: search for solutions for mankind's short and long term survival
and well-being.
C- Human ethics and values: Sustainable development implies changing the perspective from an individual to a collective driver in decision making.
CONCLUSION: Sustainable development introduces the vision of society as more than a sum of individuals, but as an integrated community 6

7. 4. Proposed model: “Sustainable development with an axiological perspective (SD-AP)”
Advance in the academic sphere: the model explicitly includes a value-based mindset in the concept of sustainable development, as pointed out by the axiological perspective.
This perspective is intrinsic to the main definitions of sustainability, but it is not explicit in the models and literature on sustainable development. 7

8. 4. Proposed model: “Sustainable development with an axiological perspective (SD-AP)”8

9. 5. Conclusions
The main advantages of the proposed model are as follows:
- A wide target group (the model can be used by academia, for public policies or by the private sector);
Representation of the concept of sustainable development in terms of three pragmatic questions: Are the environmental limitations for present and future considered and ensured? Are the human needs of society as a whole met beyond the minimum proposed by the WCED (1987)? Are positive and negative impacts for society considered in decision- making processes?
Objective explanations of its dimensions and their interactions toward sustainable development.
- The balance between the model's easy understanding and its ability to represent the concept and its application in decision-making processes. 9