The triple bottom line

26 years ago, John Elkington coined the 'Triple Bottom Line' of People, Planet and Profit (also known as the 3Ps, TBL or 3BL). It soon became another buzzword shortly after a few years 'sustainable development' was proposed by the Brundtland Commission in 1987. 'The triple bottom line' can be defined as a sustainability framework that examines a company's social, environment, and economic impact. People - the positive and negative impact an organization has on its most important stakeholders. Planet - the positive and negative impact an organization has on its natural environment (reducing its carbon footprint, responsible usage of natural resources, etc). Profit - the positive and negative impact an organization has on the local, national and international economy (includes creating employment, generating innovation, paying taxes, amongst others).