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triple bottom line
Corporate social responsibility comprises an umbrella of responsibilities of an organization towards its community, stakeholders and shareholders.[24] Organizations who are socially responsible fulfill their <anchor>triple bottom line</anchor> obligations and dedicate efforts to minimize negative impact on stakeholders and shareholders.[24] According to "The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility" by Archie B. Carroll, there are four steps of social responsibility. First, economic responsibility of an organization is to produce profit and maximize the growth of an organization. Second, legal responsibility of an organization is to be compliant with all the laws and regulations. Third, ethical responsibility of an organization to create and follow standards of right decision-making considering how it affects all the stakeholders. Fourth, philanthropic responsibility of an organization to help the community and stakeholders by "giving back".[24] The extent of fulfilling the four responsibilities defines the corporate citizenship of an organization.[24]
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## Contents

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- [1Background](#Background)
- [2Definition](#Definition)Toggle Definition subsection  - [2.1The three bottom lines](#The_three_bottom_lines)    - [2.1.1People, the social equity bottom line](#People,_the_social_equity_bottom_line)
    - [2.1.2Planet, the environmental bottom line](#Planet,_the_environmental_bottom_line)
    - [2.1.3Profit, the economic bottom line](#Profit,_the_economic_bottom_line)
- [3Subsequent development](#Subsequent_development)
- [4Supporting arguments](#Supporting_arguments)
- [5Adoption](#Adoption)
- [6Criticism](#Criticism)
- [7Legislation](#Legislation)
- [8See also](#See_also)
- [9References](#References)
- [10Further reading](#Further_reading)
- [11External links](#External_links)

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# Triple bottom line

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Accounting framework

[![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Triple_Bottom_Line_graphic.svg/375px-Triple_Bottom_Line_graphic.svg.png)](/wiki/File:Triple_Bottom_Line_graphic.svg) Graphic describing the three types of bottom lines

The **triple bottom line** (or otherwise noted as **TBL** or **3BL**) is an [accounting](/wiki/Accounting "Accounting") framework with three parts: social, environmental (or ecological) and economic. Some organizations have adopted the TBL framework to evaluate their performance in a broader perspective to create greater business value.[\[1\]](#cite_note-IBR-1) Business writer [John Elkington](/wiki/John_Elkington_(business_author) "John Elkington (business author)") claims to have coined the phrase in 1994.[\[2\]](#cite_note-recall-2)[\[3\]](#cite_note-elkington-3)

## Background

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Triple_bottom_line&action=edit&section=1 "Edit section: Background")\]

In traditional business accounting and common usage, the " [bottom line](/wiki/Bottom_line "Bottom line")" refers to either the "profit" or "loss", which is usually recorded at the very bottom line on a statement of revenue and expenses. Over the last 50 years, environmentalists and [social justice](/wiki/Social_justice "Social justice") advocates have struggled to bring a broader definition of bottom line into public consciousness by introducing [full cost accounting](/wiki/Full_cost_accounting "Full cost accounting"). For example, if a corporation shows a monetary profit, but their [asbestos](/wiki/Asbestos "Asbestos") mine causes thousands of deaths from [asbestosis](/wiki/Asbestosis "Asbestosis"), and their [copper mine](/wiki/Copper_mine "Copper mine") pollutes a river, and the government ends up spending taxpayer money on health care and river clean-up, how can we capture a fuller societal [cost benefit analysis](/wiki/Cost_benefit_analysis "Cost benefit analysis")? The triple bottom line adds two more "bottom lines": social and environmental (ecological) concerns.[\[4\]](#cite_note-4) With the ratification of the [United Nations](/wiki/United_Nations "United Nations") and [ICLEI](/wiki/International_Council_for_Local_Environmental_Initiatives "International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives") TBL standard for urban and community accounting in early 2007,[\[5\]](#cite_note-5) this became the dominant approach to [public sector](/wiki/Public_sector "Public sector") full cost accounting. Similar UN standards apply to [natural capital](/wiki/Natural_capital "Natural capital") and [human capital](/wiki/Human_capital "Human capital") measurement to assist in measurements required by TBL, e.g. the EcoBudget standard for reporting [ecological footprint](/wiki/Ecological_footprint "Ecological footprint"). Use of the TBL is fairly widespread in [South African media](/wiki/South_African_media "South African media"), as found in a 1990–2008 study of worldwide national newspapers.[\[6\]](#cite_note-6)

An example of an organization seeking a triple bottom line would be a [social enterprise](/wiki/Social_enterprise "Social enterprise") run as a non-profit, but earning income by offering opportunities for handicapped people who have been labelled "unemployable", to earn a living by [recycling](/wiki/Recycling "Recycling"). The organization earns a profit, which is invested back into the community. The social benefit is the meaningful employment of disadvantaged citizens, and the reduction in the society's welfare or disability costs. The environmental benefit comes from the recycling accomplished. In the [private sector](/wiki/Private_sector "Private sector"), a commitment to [corporate social responsibility](/wiki/Corporate_social_responsibility "Corporate social responsibility") (CSR) implies an obligation to public reporting about the business's substantial [impact](/wiki/Human_impact_on_the_environment "Human impact on the environment") for the better of the environment and people. Triple bottom line is one framework for reporting this material impact. This is distinct from the more limited changes required to deal only with ecological issues. The triple bottom line has also been extended to encompass four pillars, known as the quadruple bottom line (QBL). The fourth pillar denotes a future-oriented approach (future generations, [intergenerational equity](/wiki/Intergenerational_equity "Intergenerational equity"), etc.). It is a long-term outlook that sets [sustainable development](/wiki/Sustainable_development "Sustainable development") and [sustainability](/wiki/Sustainability "Sustainability") concerns apart from previous social, environmental, and economic considerations.\[ _[citation needed](/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed "Wikipedia:Citation needed")_\]

The challenges of putting the TBL into practice relate to the measurement of social and ecological categories. Despite this, the TBL framework enables organizations to take a longer-term perspective and thus evaluate the future consequences of decisions.[\[1\]](#cite_note-IBR-1)

## Definition

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Triple_bottom_line&action=edit&section=2 "Edit section: Definition")\]

[Sustainable development](/wiki/Sustainable_development "Sustainable development") was defined by the [Brundtland Commission](/wiki/Brundtland_Commission "Brundtland Commission") of the United Nations in 1987.[\[7\]](#cite_note-7) Triple bottom line (TBL) accounting expands the traditional reporting framework to take into account social and environmental performance in addition to financial performance.

In 1981, [Freer Spreckley](/wiki/Social_enterprise "Social enterprise") first articulated the triple bottom line framework in a publication called _Social Audit - A Management Tool for Co-operative Working_.[\[8\]](#cite_note-8) In this work, he argued that enterprises should measure and report on financial performance, social wealth creation, and environmental responsibility. The phrase "triple bottom line" was articulated more fully by [John Elkington](/wiki/John_Elkington_(business_author) "John Elkington (business author)") in his 1997 book _Cannibals with Forks: the Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business_,[\[9\]](#cite_note-:0-9) where he adopted a question asked by the Polish poet [Stanisław Lec](/wiki/Stanis%C5%82aw_Jerzy_Lec "Stanisław Jerzy Lec"), "Is it progress if a [cannibal](/wiki/Human_cannibalism "Human cannibalism") uses a fork?" as the opening line of his foreword. Elkington suggests that it can be, particularly in the case of " [sustainable capitalism](/wiki/Sustainable_capitalism "Sustainable capitalism")", wherein competing corporate entities seek to maintain their relative position by addressing people and planet issues as well as [profit maximisation](/wiki/Profit_maximisation "Profit maximisation").[\[9\]](#cite_note-:0-9)

A _Triple Bottom Line Investing_ group advocating and publicizing these principles was founded in 1998 by [Robert J. Rubinstein](/wiki/Robert_J._Rubinstein "Robert J. Rubinstein").[\[10\]](#cite_note-10)

For reporting their efforts companies may demonstrate their commitment to [corporate social responsibility](/wiki/Corporate_social_responsibility "Corporate social responsibility") (CSR) through the following:

- Top-level involvement ( [CEO](/wiki/CEO "CEO"), [Board of Directors](/wiki/Board_of_Directors "Board of Directors"))
- Policy Investments
- Programs
- Signatories to voluntary standards
- Principles (UN Global Compact-Ceres Principles)
- Reporting ( [Global Reporting Initiative](/wiki/Global_Reporting_Initiative "Global Reporting Initiative"))

The concept of TBL demands that a company's responsibility lies with [stakeholders](/wiki/Stakeholder_(corporate) "Stakeholder (corporate)") rather than [shareholders](/wiki/Shareholders "Shareholders"). In this case, "stakeholders" refers to anyone who is influenced, either directly or indirectly, by the actions of the firm. Examples of stakeholders include employees, customers, suppliers, local residents, government agencies, and creditors. According to the [stakeholder theory](/wiki/Stakeholder_theory "Stakeholder theory"), the business entity should be used as a vehicle for coordinating stakeholder interests, instead of maximizing shareholder (owner) profit. A growing number of financial institutions incorporate a triple bottom line approach in their work. It is at the core of the business of banks in the [Global Alliance for Banking on Values](/wiki/Global_Alliance_for_Banking_on_Values "Global Alliance for Banking on Values"), for example.

The [Detroit](/wiki/Detroit "Detroit")-based [Avalon International Breads](/wiki/Avalon_International_Breads "Avalon International Breads") interprets the triple bottom line as consisting of "Earth", "Community", and "Employees".[\[11\]](#cite_note-Avalon-11)

### The three bottom lines

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Triple_bottom_line&action=edit&section=3 "Edit section: The three bottom lines")\]

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The triple bottom line consists of social equity, economic, and environmental factors. The phrase, "people, planet, and profit" to describe the triple bottom line and the goal of [sustainability](/wiki/Sustainability "Sustainability"), was coined by John Elkington in 1994 while at SustainAbility,[\[3\]](#cite_note-elkington-3)[\[9\]](#cite_note-:0-9) and was later used as the title of the Anglo-Dutch oil company Shell's first sustainability report in 1997. As a result, one country in which the 3P concept took deep root was The Netherlands.

#### People, the social equity bottom line

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Triple_bottom_line&action=edit&section=4 "Edit section: People, the social equity bottom line")\]

The people, social equity, or [human capital](/wiki/Human_capital "Human capital") bottom line pertains to fair and beneficial business practices toward labour and the community and region in which a corporation conducts its business. A TBL company conceives a reciprocal [social structure](/wiki/Social_structure "Social structure") in which the well-being of corporate, labour and other stakeholder interests are interdependent.

An enterprise dedicated to the triple bottom line seeks to provide benefit to many constituencies and not to exploit or endanger any group of them. The "up streaming" of a portion of profit from the marketing of finished goods back to the original producer of raw materials, for example, a farmer in [fair trade](/wiki/Fair_trade "Fair trade") agricultural practice, is a common feature. In concrete terms, a TBL business would not use child labour and monitor all contracted companies for child labour exploitation, would pay fair salaries to its workers, would maintain a safe work environment and tolerable working hours, and would not otherwise exploit a community or its labour force. A TBL business also typically seeks to "give back" by contributing to the strength and growth of its community with such things as health care and education. Quantifying this bottom line is relatively new, problematic and often subjective. The [Global Reporting Initiative](/wiki/Global_Reporting_Initiative "Global Reporting Initiative") (GRI) has developed guidelines to enable corporations and [NGOs](/wiki/NGO "NGO") alike to comparably report on the social impact of a business.

#### Planet, the environmental bottom line

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Triple_bottom_line&action=edit&section=5 "Edit section: Planet, the environmental bottom line")\]

The planet, environmental bottom line, or [natural capital](/wiki/Natural_capital "Natural capital") bottom line refers to sustainable environmental practices. A TBL company endeavors to benefit the natural order as much as possible or at the least do no harm and minimize environmental impact. A TBL endeavour reduces its [ecological footprint](/wiki/Ecological_footprint "Ecological footprint") by, among other things, carefully managing its consumption of energy and non-renewables and reducing manufacturing waste as well as rendering waste less [toxic](/wiki/Toxicity "Toxicity") before disposing of it in a safe and legal manner. " [Cradle to grave](/wiki/Cradle-to-grave_analysis "Cradle-to-grave analysis")" is uppermost in the thoughts of TBL manufacturing businesses, which typically conduct a [life cycle assessment](/wiki/Life_cycle_assessment "Life cycle assessment") of products to determine what the true environmental cost is from the growth and harvesting of raw materials to manufacture to distribution to eventual disposal by the end user.

Currently, the cost of disposing of non-degradable or toxic products is born financially and environmentally by future generations, the governments, and residents near the disposal site and elsewhere. In TBL thinking, an enterprise which produces and markets a product which will create a waste problem should not be given a free ride by society. It would be more equitable for the business which manufactures and sells a problematic product to bear part of the cost of its ultimate disposal.

Ecologically destructive practices, such as overfishing or other endangering depletions of resources are avoided by TBL companies. Often [environmental sustainability](/wiki/Environmental_sustainability "Environmental sustainability") is the more profitable course for a business in the long run. Arguments that it costs more to be environmentally sound are often specious when the course of the business is analyzed over a period of time. Generally, sustainability reporting metrics are better quantified and standardized for environmental issues than for social ones. A number of respected reporting institutes and registries exist including the Global Reporting Initiative, CERES, Institute for Sustainability and others.

The ecological bottom line is akin to the concept of [eco-capitalism](/wiki/Eco-capitalism "Eco-capitalism").[\[12\]](#cite_note-12)

#### Profit, the economic bottom line

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Triple_bottom_line&action=edit&section=6 "Edit section: Profit, the economic bottom line")\]

The profit or economic bottom line deals with the economic value created by the organization after deducting the cost of all inputs, including the cost of the capital tied up. It therefore differs from traditional accounting definitions of profit. In the original concept, within a sustainability framework, the "profit" aspect needs to be seen as the real economic benefit enjoyed by the host society. It is the real economic impact the organization has on its economic environment. This is often confused to be limited to the internal profit made by a company or organization (which nevertheless remains an essential starting point for the computation). Therefore, an original TBL approach cannot be interpreted as simply traditional corporate accounting profit _plus_ social and environmental impacts unless the "profits" of other entities are included as a social benefit.\[ _[citation needed](/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed "Wikipedia:Citation needed")_\]

## Subsequent development

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Triple_bottom_line&action=edit&section=7 "Edit section: Subsequent development")\]

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Following the initial publication of the triple bottom line concept, students and practitioners have sought greater detail in how the pillars can be evaluated. The _people_ concept, for example, can be viewed into three dimensions – organisational needs, individual needs, and community issues.

Equally, _profit_ is a function of both a healthy sales stream, which needs a high focus on customer service, coupled with the adoption of a strategy to develop new customers to replace those that die away, and _planet_ can be divided into a multitude of subdivisions, although [reduce, reuse and recycle](/wiki/Waste_hierarchy "Waste hierarchy") is a succinct way of steering through this division.

The initial understanding is now supplanted by thinking beyond TBL: added to the TBL concept of economics, ethics and environment is the idea of thinking of the environment as a mantel that the other pillars hold up, and add to Economics and Ethics, the notions of Energy, and Health or the 4 E's.

## Supporting arguments

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Triple_bottom_line&action=edit&section=8 "Edit section: Supporting arguments")\]

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The following business-based arguments support the concept of TBL:

- Reaching untapped market potential: TBL companies can find financially profitable niches which were missed when money alone was the driving factor. Examples include:

1. Adding [ecotourism](/wiki/Ecotourism "Ecotourism") or [geotourism](/wiki/Geotourism "Geotourism") to an already rich tourism market such as the [Dominican Republic](/wiki/Dominican_Republic "Dominican Republic")
2. Developing profitable methods to assist existing NGOs with their missions such as fundraising, reaching clients, or creating networking opportunities with multiple NGOs
3. Providing products or services which benefit underserved populations and/or the environment which are also financially profitable.

- Adapting to new business sectors: While the number of [social enterprises](/wiki/Social_enterprises "Social enterprises") is growing,[\[13\]](#cite_note-13) and with the entry of the [B Corp movement](/wiki/B_Corporation "B Corporation"),[\[14\]](#cite_note-14) there is more demand from consumers and investors for an accounting for social and environmental impact.[\[15\]](#cite_note-15) For example, [Fair Trade](/wiki/Fair_trade "Fair trade") and Ethical Trade companies require ethical and sustainable practices from all of their suppliers and service providers.

Government [fiscal policies](/wiki/Fiscal_policies "Fiscal policies") usually claim to be concerned with identifying social and natural deficits on a less formal basis. However, such choices may be guided more by [ideology](/wiki/Ideology "Ideology") than by [economics](/wiki/Economics "Economics"). The primary benefit of embedding one approach to measurement of these deficits would be first to direct [monetary policy](/wiki/Monetary_policy "Monetary policy") to reduce them, and eventually achieve a global [monetary reform](/wiki/Monetary_reform "Monetary reform") by which they could be systematically and globally reduced in some uniform way.

The argument is that the [Earth](/wiki/Earth "Earth")'s [carrying capacity](/wiki/Carrying_capacity "Carrying capacity") is at risk, and that in order to avoid catastrophic breakdown of [climate](/wiki/Climate "Climate") or [ecosystems](/wiki/Ecosystem "Ecosystem"), there is need for comprehensive reform of [global financial institutions](/wiki/Global_financial_system "Global financial system") similar in scale to what was undertaken at [Bretton Woods](/wiki/Bretton_Woods_conference "Bretton Woods conference") in 1944.

With the emergence of an externally consistent [green economics](/wiki/Green_economics "Green economics") and agreement on definitions of potentially contentious terms such as [full-cost accounting](/wiki/Full-cost_accounting "Full-cost accounting"), [natural capital](/wiki/Natural_capital "Natural capital") and [social capital](/wiki/Social_capital "Social capital"), the prospect of formal metrics for ecological and social loss or risk has grown less remote since the 1990s.\[ _[citation needed](/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed "Wikipedia:Citation needed")_\]

In the [United Kingdom](/wiki/United_Kingdom "United Kingdom") in particular, the London Health Observatory has undertaken a formal programme to address social deficits via a fuller understanding of what "social capital" is, how it functions in a real [community](/wiki/Community "Community") (that being the [City of London](/wiki/City_of_London "City of London")), and how losses of it tend to require both [financial capital](/wiki/Financial_capital "Financial capital") and significant political and social attention from [volunteers](/wiki/Volunteering "Volunteering") and professionals to help resolve. The data they rely on is extensive, building on decades of statistics of the [Greater London Council](/wiki/Greater_London_Council "Greater London Council") since [World War II](/wiki/World_War_II "World War II"). Similar studies have been undertaken in [North America](/wiki/North_America "North America").

Studies of the [value of Earth](/wiki/Value_of_Earth "Value of Earth") have tried to determine what might constitute an ecological or natural life deficit. The [Kyoto Protocol](/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol "Kyoto Protocol") relies on some measures of this sort, and actually relies on some [value of life](/wiki/Value_of_life "Value of life") calculations that, among other things, are explicit about the ratio of the price of a human life between developed and developing nations (about 15 to 1). While the motive of this number was to simply assign responsibility for a cleanup, such stark honesty opens not just an economic but political door to some kind of negotiation — presumably to reduce that ratio in time to something seen as more equitable. As it is, people in developed nations can be said to benefit 15 times more from [ecological devastation](/wiki/Ecological_devastation "Ecological devastation") than in developing nations, in pure financial terms. According to the [IPCC](/wiki/Intergovernmental_Panel_on_Climate_Change "Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change"), they are thus obliged to pay 15 times more per life to avoid a loss of each such life to [climate change](/wiki/Climate_change "Climate change") — the [Kyoto Protocol](/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol "Kyoto Protocol") seeks to implement exactly this formula, and is therefore sometimes cited as a first step towards getting nations to accept formal [liability](/wiki/Legal_liability "Legal liability") for damage inflicted on ecosystems shared globally.

Advocacy for triple bottom line reforms is common in [Green Parties](/wiki/Green_Parties "Green Parties"). Some of the measures undertaken in the [European Union](/wiki/European_Union "European Union") towards the [Euro](/wiki/Euro "Euro") currency integration standardize the reporting of ecological and social losses in such a way as to seem to endorse in principle the notion of unified accounts, or [unit of account](/wiki/Unit_of_account "Unit of account"), for these deficits.

To address financial bottom line profitability concerns, some argue that focusing on the TBL will indeed increase profit for the shareholders in the long run. In practice, [John Mackey](/wiki/John_Mackey_(businessman) "John Mackey (businessman)"), CEO of [Whole Foods](/wiki/Whole_Foods "Whole Foods"), uses Whole Foods' Community Giving Days as an example. On days when Whole Foods donates 5% of their sales to charity, this action benefits the community, creates goodwill with customers, and energizes employees, which may lead to increased, sustainable profitability in the long-run.[\[16\]](#cite_note-16)

Furthermore, planning a sustainability strategy with the triple bottom line in mind could save companies a lot of money if a disaster were to strike. For example, when [BP](/wiki/BP "BP") spilled "two hundred million gallons of oil in the [Gulf of Mexico](/wiki/Gulf_of_Mexico "Gulf of Mexico")", it cost the company "billions". This company focused mostly on the financial and economic costs of this disaster, instead of the company’s environmental bottom line, furthering damage to the company and its reputation.[\[17\]](#cite_note-17)

## Adoption

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Triple_bottom_line&action=edit&section=9 "Edit section: Adoption")\]

Timothy Slater and Tanya Hall identified [General Electric](/wiki/General_Electric "General Electric") (GE), [Unilever](/wiki/Unilever "Unilever"), [Procter and Gamble](/wiki/Procter_and_Gamble "Procter and Gamble"), [3M](/wiki/3M "3M") and a private company, Cascade Engineering, as examples of businesses using TBL.[\[1\]](#cite_note-IBR-1) GE referred to TBL benefits associated with their electron beam emitting technology investment in 2008.[\[18\]](#cite_note-18) Danish company [Novo Nordisk](/wiki/Novo_Nordisk "Novo Nordisk")'s consolidated financial statements for 2019 were supplemented by a "consolidated social statement" and a "consolidated environmental statement".[\[19\]](#cite_note-19)

## Criticism

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Triple_bottom_line&action=edit&section=10 "Edit section: Criticism")\]

While many people agree with the importance of good social conditions and preservation of the environment, there are also many who disagree with the triple bottom line as the way to enhance these conditions. The following are the reasons why:

- _Reductive method_: Concurrently the environment comes to be treated as an externality or background feature, an externality that tends not to have the human dimension build into its definition. Thus, in many writings, even in those critical of the triple-bottom-line approach, the social becomes a congeries of miscellaneous considerations left over from the other two prime categories.[\[20\]](#cite_note-academia.edu-20) Alternative approaches, such as [Circles of Sustainability](/wiki/Circles_of_Sustainability "Circles of Sustainability"),[\[21\]](#cite_note-21) that treat the economic as a social domain, alongside and in relation to the ecological, the political and the cultural are now being considered as more appropriate for understanding institutions, cities and regions.[\[20\]](#cite_note-academia.edu-20)[\[22\]](#cite_note-22)[\[23\]](#cite_note-23)
- _[Inertia](/wiki/Social_inertia "Social inertia")_: The difficulty of achieving global agreement on [simultaneous policy](/wiki/Simultaneous_policy "Simultaneous policy") may render such measures at best advisory, and thus unenforceable. For example, people may be unwilling to undergo a [depression](/wiki/Depression_(economics) "Depression (economics)") or even sustained [recession](/wiki/Recession "Recession") to replenish lost [ecosystems](/wiki/Ecosystem "Ecosystem"). \[ _[citation needed](/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed "Wikipedia:Citation needed")_\]
- _Application_: According to Fred Robins' _The Challenge of TBL: A Responsibility to Whom?_ one of the major weaknesses of the TBL framework is its ability to be applied in the practical world.
- _Equating ecology with environment_: TBL is seen to be disregarding ecological sustainability with environmental effects, where in reality both economic and social viability is dependent on environmental well-being. While [greenwashing](/wiki/Greenwashing "Greenwashing") is not new, its use has increased over recent years to meet consumer demand for environmentally friendly goods and services. The problem is compounded by lax enforcement by regulatory agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission in the United States, the Competition Bureau in Canada, and the [Committee of Advertising Practice](/wiki/Committee_of_Advertising_Practice "Committee of Advertising Practice") and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice in the United Kingdom. Critics of the practice suggest that the rise of greenwashing, paired with ineffective regulation, contributes to consumer skepticism of all green claims, and diminishes the power of the consumer in driving companies toward greener solutions for manufacturing processes and business operation.
- _Time dimension_: While the triple bottom line incorporates the social, economical and environmental (People, Planet, Profit) dimensions of sustainable development, it does not explicitly address the fourth dimension: time. The time dimension focuses on preserving current value in all three other dimensions for later. This means assessment of short term, longer term and long term consequences of any action.[\[24\]](#cite_note-24)
- "One problem with the triple bottom line is that the three separate accounts cannot easily be added up. It is difficult to measure the planet and people accounts in the same terms as profits—that is, in terms of cash."[\[3\]](#cite_note-elkington-3) This has led to TBL being augmented with [cost-benefit analysis](/wiki/Cost%E2%80%93benefit_analysis "Cost–benefit analysis") in [Triple Bottom Line Cost Benefit Analysis (TBL-CBA)](/wiki/Triple_Bottom_Line_(TBL)_Cost_Benefit_Analysis_(CBA) "Triple Bottom Line (TBL) Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA)").
- _Performance/eco-efficiency_: According to Rambaud, A. & Richard, J., "the TBL model \[...\] is based on the concept of ‘eco-efficiency’. In his seminal book, Elkington \[...\] gives a fundamental role to eco-efficiency in constructing the TBL model. According to him, the development of the concept of eco-efficiency allowed the development of the TBL model, a framework that he believes can save businesspeople from ecological communism".[\[25\]](#cite_note-rambaud-25) Eco-efficiency is equivalent to weak sustainability and corresponds to a relative measure of socio-environmental impacts compared to value creation. In this, eco-efficiency differs from eco-effectiveness, which is concerned with the absolute measurement of these impacts. A company can therefore increase its socio-environmental impacts and increase its eco-efficiency, if at the same time it increases its value creation even more. The TBL is thus the dedicated reporting system structuring this notion of performance at the expense of eco-effectiveness. Yet eco-efficiency is at the heart of rebound effects and cannot be a credible basis for ecosystem management in particular.
- Elkington himself has called for a rethink on TBL and a "product recall" on use of the concept. He argues that the original idea was to encourage businesses to manage the wider economic, social and environmental impacts of their operations, but its practical use as an accounting tool has now undermined its value. More precisely, he explains "It \[Triple Bottom Line\] was supposed to provoke deeper thinking about capitalism and its future, but many early adopters understood the concept as a balancing act, adopting a trade-off mentality. \[...\] Such experimentation \[de la TBL\] is clearly vital — and typically sparks a proliferation of potential solutions. But the bewildering range of options now on offer can provide business with an alibi for inaction. Worse, we have conspicuously failed to benchmark progress across these options, on the basis of their real-world impact and performance".[\[2\]](#cite_note-recall-2)

In short, the criticisms can be summarised as:

- attempting to divert the attention of regulators and deflating pressure for regulatory change;
- seeking to persuade critics, such as non-government organisations, that they are both well-intentioned and have changed their ways;
- seeking to expand market share at the expense of those rivals not involved in greenwashing; this is especially attractive if little or no additional expenditure is required to change _performance_; alternatively, a company can engage in greenwashing in an attempt to narrow the perceived 'green' advantage of a rival;
- reducing staff turnover and making it easier to attract staff in the first place;
- making the company seem attractive for potential investors, especially those interested in ethical investment or socially responsive investment;
- inability to add up the three accounts unless tools such as [cost-benefit analysis](/wiki/Cost%E2%80%93benefit_analysis "Cost–benefit analysis") or eco-efficiency (weak sustainability performance) are added to put social and environmental [externalities](/wiki/Externality "Externality") in monetary terms.

In response to these limitations, the concept of the "Triple Depreciation Line" (also called "CARE - Comprehensive Accounting in Respect of Ecology - model") has been proposed [\[25\]](#cite_note-rambaud-25)[\[26\]](#cite_note-26)

## Legislation

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Triple_bottom_line&action=edit&section=11 "Edit section: Legislation")\]

A focus on people, planet and profit has led to legislation changes around the world, often through [social enterprise](/wiki/Social_enterprise "Social enterprise") or [social investment](/wiki/Social_investing "Social investing") or through the introduction of a new legal form, the [Community Interest Company](/wiki/Community_Interest_Company "Community Interest Company").[\[27\]](#cite_note-27) In the United States, the [BCorp](/wiki/BCorp "BCorp") movement has been part of a call for legislation change to allow and encourage a focus on social and environmental impact, with BCorp a legal form for a company focused on "stakeholders, not just shareholders".[\[28\]](#cite_note-28)

In [Western Australia](/wiki/Western_Australia "Western Australia"), the triple bottom line was adopted as a part of the State Sustainability Strategy,[\[29\]](#cite_note-29) and accepted by the [Government of Western Australia](/wiki/Western_Australian_Government "Western Australian Government") but its status was increasingly marginalised by subsequent [premiers](/wiki/Premier_of_Western_Australia "Premier of Western Australia") [Alan Carpenter](/wiki/Alan_Carpenter "Alan Carpenter") and [Colin Barnett](/wiki/Colin_Barnett "Colin Barnett").

## See also

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Triple_bottom_line&action=edit&section=12 "Edit section: See also")\]

- [![icon](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Emblem-money.svg/28px-Emblem-money.svg.png)](/wiki/File:Emblem-money.svg)[Business portal](/wiki/Portal:Business "Portal:Business")

- [B Corporation (certification)](/wiki/B_Corporation_(certification) "B Corporation (certification)")
- [Bottom of the pyramid](/wiki/Bottom_of_the_pyramid "Bottom of the pyramid")
- [Circles of Sustainability](/wiki/Circles_of_Sustainability "Circles of Sustainability")
- [Community interest company](/wiki/Community_interest_company "Community interest company")
- [Conscious business](/wiki/Conscious_business "Conscious business")
- [Double bottom line](/wiki/Double_bottom_line "Double bottom line"), a similar concept predating the UN standard
- [EC3 Global](/wiki/EC3_Global "EC3 Global")
- [Eco-capitalism](/wiki/Eco-capitalism "Eco-capitalism")
- [Grassroots Business Fund](/wiki/Grassroots_Business_Fund "Grassroots Business Fund")
- [Impact investing](/wiki/Impact_investing "Impact investing")
- [Low-profit limited liability company](/wiki/Low-profit_limited_liability_company "Low-profit limited liability company")
- [Permaculture ethics](/wiki/Permaculture#Three_Foundational_Ethics "Permaculture")
- [Social entrepreneurship](/wiki/Social_entrepreneurship "Social entrepreneurship")
- [Triple top line](/wiki/Triple_top_line "Triple top line")
- [Value network](/wiki/Value_network "Value network")
- [Value network analysis](/wiki/Value_network_analysis "Value network analysis")

## References

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Triple_bottom_line&action=edit&section=13 "Edit section: References")\]

01. ^ [_**a**_](#cite_ref-IBR_1-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-IBR_1-1) [_**c**_](#cite_ref-IBR_1-2)Slaper, Timothy F. and Hall, Tanya J. (2011). ["The Triple Bottom Line: What Is It and How Does It Work?"](http://www.ibrc.indiana.edu/ibr/2011/spring/article2.html) _Indiana Business Review_. Spring 2011, Volume 86, No. 1.
02. ^ [_**a**_](#cite_ref-recall_2-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-recall_2-1)[Elkington, John](/wiki/John_Elkington_(business_author) "John Elkington (business author)") (June 25, 2018). ["25 Years Ago I Coined the Phrase "Triple Bottom Line." Here's Why It's Time to Rethink It"](https://web.archive.org/web/20230322134319/https://hbr.org/2018/06/25-years-ago-i-coined-the-phrase-triple-bottom-line-heres-why-im-giving-up-on-it). _Harvard Business Review_. Archived from [the original](https://hbr.org/2018/06/25-years-ago-i-coined-the-phrase-triple-bottom-line-heres-why-im-giving-up-on-it) on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
03. ^ [_**a**_](#cite_ref-elkington_3-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-elkington_3-1) [_**c**_](#cite_ref-elkington_3-2)["Triple Bottom Line"](http://www.economist.com/node/14301663). _The Economist_. November 17, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
04. **[^](#cite_ref-4)**[Sustainability – From Principle To Practice](http://www.goethe.de/ges/umw/dos/nac/den/en3106180.htm) _[Goethe-Institut](/wiki/Goethe-Institut "Goethe-Institut")_, March 2008.
05. **[^](#cite_ref-5)**["Enhancing the role of industry through for example, private-public partnerships"](https://web.archive.org/web/20121112080747/http://www.unep.org/delc/Portals/119/industrryRoleOfIndclean.pdf)(PDF). [United Nations Environment Programme](/wiki/United_Nations_Environment_Programme "United Nations Environment Programme"). May 2011. Archived from [the original](http://www.unep.org/delc/Portals/119/industrryRoleOfIndclean.pdf)(PDF) on 2012-11-12. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
06. **[^](#cite_ref-6)**Barkemeyer, Ralf; Figge, Frank; Holt, Diane; Wettstein, Barbara (1 March 2009). ["What the Papers Say: Trends in Sustainability. A Comparative Analysis of 115 Leading National Newspapers Worldwide"](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262009650). _Journal of Corporate Citizenship_. **2009** (33): 68–86. [doi](/wiki/Doi_(identifier) "Doi (identifier)"): [10.9774/GLEAF.4700.2009.sp.00009](https://doi.org/10.9774%2FGLEAF.4700.2009.sp.00009).
07. **[^](#cite_ref-7)**["Egypt's sustainable finance trailblazer"](https://www.worldfinance.com/banking/egypts-sustainable-finance-trailblazer). Retrieved 2018-10-11.
08. **[^](#cite_ref-8)**Spreckley, Freer (1981). [_Social Audit: A Management Tool for Co-operative Working_](https://web.archive.org/web/20200301021617/http://www.locallivelihoods.com/cmsms/uploads/PDFs/Social%20Audit%20-%20A%20Management%20Tool.pdf)(PDF). Beechwood College. Archived from [the original](http://www.locallivelihoods.com/cmsms/uploads/PDFs/Social%20Audit%20-%20A%20Management%20Tool.pdf)(PDF) on 2020-03-01.
09. ^ [_**a**_](#cite_ref-:0_9-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-:0_9-1) [_**c**_](#cite_ref-:0_9-2)[Elkington, John](/wiki/John_Elkington_(business_author) "John Elkington (business author)") (1999). [_Cannibals with forks: the triple bottom line of 21st century business_](https://archive.org/details/cannibalswithfor00elki_0). Oxford: Capstone. [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [9780865713925](/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780865713925 "Special:BookSources/9780865713925"). [OCLC](/wiki/OCLC_(identifier) "OCLC (identifier)") [963459936](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/963459936).
10. **[^](#cite_ref-10)**Thorpe, Devin. ["One Key To Impact Investing: Start Big"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/devinthorpe/2018/05/22/one-key-to-impact-investing-start-big/#eab84e15ddb9). _Forbes_. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
11. **[^](#cite_ref-Avalon_11-0)**["Triple Bottom Line: Earth, Community, Employees"](https://web.archive.org/web/20201112185233/http://www.avalonbreads.net/about-us/triple-bottom-line/). _Avalon International Breads_. Archived from [the original](http://www.avalonbreads.net/about-us/triple-bottom-line/) on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
12. **[^](#cite_ref-12)**[Ekins, Paul](/wiki/Paul_Ekins "Paul Ekins") (1992). [_The Gaia Atlas of Green Economics_](https://archive.org/details/gaiaatlasofgreen00ekin/page/191). Anchor Books. p. [191](https://archive.org/details/gaiaatlasofgreen00ekin/page/191). [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [0-385-41914-7](/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-385-41914-7 "Special:BookSources/0-385-41914-7").
13. **[^](#cite_ref-13)**["The People's Business 2013"](https://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/the-peoples-business). _Social Enterprise UK_. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
14. **[^](#cite_ref-14)**Trapp, Roger (2015). ["Business Leaders Urged To Find A Purpose In Life"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/rogertrapp/2015/03/29/business-leaders-urged-to-find-a-purpose-in-life/). _Forbes_. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
15. **[^](#cite_ref-15)**["Mind the gaps. The 2015 Deloitte Millennial survey"](http://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About-Deloitte/gx-wef-2015-millennial-survey-executivesummary.pdf)(PDF). _Deloitt_. 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
16. **[^](#cite_ref-16)**["John Mackey: The conscious capitalist"](http://fortune.com/2015/08/20/whole-foods-john-mackey/).
17. **[^](#cite_ref-17)**Szekely, Francisco; Dossa, Zahir; Hollender, Jeffrey (2017). [_The Beyond the Triple Bottom Line: Eight Steps toward a Sustainable Business Model_](https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1pc5g1x). [MIT Press](/wiki/MIT_Press "MIT Press"). [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [978-0-262-03599-6](/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-262-03599-6 "Special:BookSources/978-0-262-03599-6"). [JSTOR](/wiki/JSTOR_(identifier) "JSTOR (identifier)") [j.ctt1pc5g1x](https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1pc5g1x).
18. **[^](#cite_ref-18)**GE Energy Financial Services, [GE Invests In Advanced Electron Beams; Technology Cuts](https://www.ge.com/news/press-releases/ge-invests-advanced-electron-beams-technology-cuts), published 16 September 2008, accessed 21 February 2024
19. **[^](#cite_ref-19)**Novo Nordisk, [Annual Report 2019](https://www.novonordisk.com/content/dam/nncorp/global/en/annual-report/pdfs/2019/Novo-Nordisk-Annual-Report-2019.pdf), accessed 21 February 2024
20. ^ [_**a**_](#cite_ref-academia.edu_20-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-academia.edu_20-1)Scerri, Andy; [James, Paul](/wiki/Paul_James_(academic) "Paul James (academic)") (2010). ["Accounting for sustainability: Combining qualitative and quantitative research in developing 'indicators' of sustainability"](https://www.academia.edu/3230887). _International Journal of Social Research Methodology_. **13** (1): 41–53. [doi](/wiki/Doi_(identifier) "Doi (identifier)"): [10.1080/13645570902864145](https://doi.org/10.1080%2F13645570902864145). [S2CID](/wiki/S2CID_(identifier) "S2CID (identifier)") [145391691](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:145391691).
21. **[^](#cite_ref-21)**[James, Paul](/wiki/Paul_James_(academic) "Paul James (academic)"); Scerri, Andy (2011). "Auditing cities through circles of sustainability". In Amen, Mark; Toly, Noah J.; Carney, Patricia L.; Segbers, Klaus (eds.). _Cities and Global Governance: New Sites for International Relations_. Farnham, UK: Ashgate. pp. 110–146. [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [978-1-4094-0893-2](/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4094-0893-2 "Special:BookSources/978-1-4094-0893-2").
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25. ^ [_**a**_](#cite_ref-rambaud_25-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-rambaud_25-1)Rambaud, Alexandre; Richard, Jacques (2015). ["The _Triple Depreciation Line_ instead of the _Triple Bottom Line_: Towards a genuine integrated reporting"](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1045235415000234). _Critical Perspectives on Accounting_. **33**: 92–116. [doi](/wiki/Doi_(identifier) "Doi (identifier)"): [10.1016/j.cpa.2015.01.012](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.cpa.2015.01.012).
26. **[^](#cite_ref-26)**["Improving Nature's Visibility in Financial Accounting" Natural Capital Coalition's report"](https://www.chaire-comptabilite-ecologique.fr/Natural-capital-visibility-in-financial-accounting-Method-3-Extended-Version?lang=fr.). Retrieved 17 October 2022.
27. **[^](#cite_ref-27)**["Community Interest Companies"](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-the-regulator-of-community-interest-companies). UK Government. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
28. **[^](#cite_ref-28)**["Becoming a Legal BCorp"](https://www.bcorporation.net/become-a-b-corp/how-to-become-a-b-corp/legal-roadmap). BCorp. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
29. **[^](#cite_ref-29)**[Government of Western Australia. (2003, September). "Hope for the Future: The Western Australia State Sustainability Strategy"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070830000447/http://www.sustainability.dpc.wa.gov.au/docs/Final%20Strategy/SSSFinal.pdf), accessed August 30, 2013

- ["Part I. What You Do Now Depends on Where You Are Now"](https://dx.doi.org/10.1515/9781400837618.11), _Why We Vote_, Princeton: Princeton University Press, pp. 11–92, 2010-12-31, [doi](/wiki/Doi_(identifier) "Doi (identifier)"): [10.1515/9781400837618.11](https://doi.org/10.1515%2F9781400837618.11), [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [978-1-4008-3761-8](/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4008-3761-8 "Special:BookSources/978-1-4008-3761-8"), retrieved 2020-10-16

## Further reading

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Triple_bottom_line&action=edit&section=14 "Edit section: Further reading")\]

- _Social Audit - A Management Tool for Co-operative Working 1981_ by Freer Spreckley [\[1\]](http://www.evalpartners.org/sites/default/files/Social%20Audit%20-%20A%20Management%20Tool.pdf)
- _The Gaia Atlas of Green Economics_ (Gaia Future Series) \[Paperback\], by Paul Ekins, Anchor Books
- _Harvard Business Review on Corporate Responsibility_ by [Harvard Business School Press](/wiki/Harvard_Business_School_Press "Harvard Business School Press")
- _The Soul of a Business: Managing for Profit and the Common Good_ by Tom Chappell
- _Capitalism at the Crossroads: The Unlimited Business Opportunities in Solving the World's Most Difficult Problems_ by Professor Stuart L. Hart
- _The Triple Bottom Line: How Today's Best-Run Companies Are Achieving Economic, Social and Environmental Success—and How You Can Too_ by Andrew W. Savitz and Karl Weber
- _The Sustainability Advantage: Seven Business Case Benefits of a Triple Bottom Line (Conscientious Commerce)_ by Bob Willard, [New Society Publishers](/wiki/New_Society_Publishers "New Society Publishers") [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier) "ISBN (identifier)") [978-0-86571-451-9](/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-86571-451-9 "Special:BookSources/978-0-86571-451-9")

## External links

\[ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Triple_bottom_line&action=edit&section=15 "Edit section: External links")\]

- [Explainer: what is the triple bottom line? - The Conversation](https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-the-triple-bottom-line-22798)
- [The Triple Bottom Line: What Is It and How Does It Work? - Indiana Business Review](http://www.ibrc.indiana.edu/ibr/2011/spring/article2.html)
- [Balancing Act - A Triple Bottom Line Analysis of the Australian Economy](https://publications.csiro.au/rpr/pub?pid=procite:ef189bac-499a-46db-be4d-b391a3cb05dc)
- [Citizens for Corporate Redesign](http://www.c4cr.org/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220331120908/http://www.c4cr.org/) 2022-03-31 at the [Wayback Machine](/wiki/Wayback_Machine "Wayback Machine") ( [Minnesota](/wiki/Minnesota "Minnesota"))
- [Triple Pundit - Blog on Triple Bottom Line](http://www.triplepundit.com/) ( [United States](/wiki/United_States "United States"))
- [Corporate Responsibility](http://www.corporate-responsibility.org/) ( [United Kingdom](/wiki/United_Kingdom "United Kingdom"))
- [TBL Accounting without boundaries - Australian corporate and government experiences](https://isa.org.usyd.edu.au/research/tbl.shtml)

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- [ISO 26000](/wiki/ISO_26000 "ISO 26000")
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[Environmental\
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- [Toxics Release Inventory](/wiki/Toxics_Release_Inventory "Toxics Release Inventory")
- Triple bottom line

Reporting

- [Global Reporting Initiative](/wiki/Global_Reporting_Initiative "Global Reporting Initiative")
- [GxP guidelines](/wiki/GxP "GxP")
- [Sustainability reporting](/wiki/Sustainability_reporting "Sustainability reporting")

[Auditing](/wiki/Audit "Audit")

- [Community-based monitoring](/wiki/Community-based_monitoring "Community-based monitoring")
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- [Fair trade](/wiki/Fair_trade "Fair trade") ( [certification](/wiki/Fair_trade_certification "Fair trade certification"))
- [ISO 19011](/wiki/ISO_19011 "ISO 19011")

Related

- [Bangladesh Accord](/wiki/Accord_on_Fire_and_Building_Safety_in_Bangladesh "Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh")
- [Benefit corporation](/wiki/Benefit_corporation "Benefit corporation")
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- [Stakeholder](/wiki/Stakeholder_(corporate) "Stakeholder (corporate)") ( [engagement](/wiki/Stakeholder_engagement "Stakeholder engagement"))
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