The Natural Step Framework

The Natural Step Framework addresses the need for a systematic way of understanding and planning toward sustainability. It is a methodology for planning that provides an elegant, rigorous, science-based understanding of sustainability together with a tested planning approach to translate that understanding into practice. By focusing planners and decision-makers on that which can be agreed upon, it helps create a common perspective and language for sustainability.

The Natural Step Framework defines sustainability at the principle level, enabling organizations to create optimal strategies for dealing with the present-day situation and to move strategically toward sustainability. It is unique in its function as a tool to bring disparate stakeholders and individuals together as intellectual partners to discuss the path forward to sustainability in a mutual exploration.

The Framework has the following main components:

• The Funnel as a Metaphor
• The System Conditions for a Sustainable Society
• Backcasting from Principles
• A Four-stage "ABCD" Strategic Planning Process

The Funnel as a Metaphor

In the quest for good health, welfare and economic prosperity, we are systematically destroying the system that we, as humans, are completely dependent upon -- nature. Lifesustaining natural resources, such as clean air and clean water, are subject to increasing deterioration due to human activity. Forests are being lost and species extinction is accelerating. At the same time, nature's long-term productive capacity is being degraded in fields, forests and oceans. The reason for nature's reduced productive potential is that we are polluting and displacing nature in various ways. Renewable resources are being used up at such a rate that nature does not have time to build new ones.

At the same time, there are more and more people on earth in need of these resources, and per-capita consumption is increasing. It's as if all of civilization is moving deeper into a funnel  whose narrowing walls demonstrate that there is less and less room to manoeuvre with fewer options in order to avoid " hitting the walls".

The Natural Step's Four System Conditions

The earth is a sustainable cyclical system. Scientists agree that human society is capable of damaging nature and altering life-supporting ecological structures and functions in only three major ways. Based on this scientific understanding, The Natural Step has defined three basic system conditions for maintaining essential ecological processes. In addition, The Natural Step recognizes that social and economic dynamics fundamentally drive the actions that lead to ecosystem changes. Therefore, the fourth system condition focuses on socioeconomic dynamics and affirms that meeting human needs worldwide is an integral and essential part of sustainability.

In a sustainable society, nature is not subject to systematically increasing:

1. concentrations of substances extracted from the earth's crust;
2. concentrations of substances produced by society;
3. degradation of nature by physical means;
4. and, in that society people are not subject to conditions that systematically: undermine their capacity to meet their needs.

Backcasting from Principles

The Natural Step Framework uses a planning approach called "Backcasting from Principles." Backcasting is a methodology for planning that involves starting from a description of a successful outcome, then linking today with that successful outcome in a strategic way: what shall we do today to get there? The Natural Step Framework uses the scientifically rigorous system conditions described above as the basis for its definition of success from which to backcast.

It translates the system conditions for a sustainable society into ultimate sustainability objectives for an organization or community, namely to:

• eliminate its contribution to systematic increases in concentrations of substances extracted from the Earth's crust.
• eliminate its contribution to systematic increases in concentrations of substances produced by society.
• eliminate its contribution to systematic physical degradation of nature through overharvesting, introductions and other forms of modification.
• eliminate its contribution to conditions that undermine people's capacity to meet their needs.

The ABCD Planning Process

The System Conditions describe basic requirements that must be met in a sustainable society. The Natural Step has developed and tested an approach to help organizations incorporate sustainability into core strategies using the system conditions as helpful guidelines and measurements for successful actions. The four-step "A-B-C-D" process (Figure 2) provides a systematic way of guiding this process:

(A)wareness: Understanding sustainability and the Framework as a shared mental model.
(B)aseline: An assessment of " today" is conducted by listing all current flows and practices that are contributions to violations of the four System Conditions, as well as considering all the assets that are in place to deal with the problems.
(C)ompelling Vision - Opportunities for Innovation: Possible solutions and innovations for the future are generated and listed by applying the constraints of the System Conditions to trigger creativity and scrutinize the suggested solutions.
(D)own to Action: Priorities from the Compelling Vision list are made, and smart early moves and concrete programs for change are launched. Innovative actions are prioritized by screening them through the following three questions:

• Does it move us in the right direction with regards to the four System Conditions?
• Is it a flexible platform, i.e. a stepping stone toward future improvements?
• Does it provide an adequate return on investment to seed future investments?

(Thank you to the Natural Step Canada for their permission to use these materials)