Ricerc@Sapienza

The concept of sustainability has acquired an ever more central role in governing
processes, both of institutions and business organizations. Adopting a sustainability
perspective, in fact, implies evaluating the different alternatives that arise
from the representation of the specific constraints and rules that have to be
followed in the different contexts that are taken into account: the economic,
social and environmental contexts.
Although since the beginning of the development of the theory of sustainability,
about fifty years ago, there have been several attempts to consider the
interrelation of environmental aspects with economic and socio-cultural ones,
the definition of strategies and practices rarely adopted a holistic and comprehensive
approach; neither did they consider the possible effects that can derive from
such an approach.
Based on these considerations, this chapter proposes adopting a systems
approach to sustainability, in terms of involving the analysis of the synergy
effects arising from the simultaneous consideration of the issues that come from
each of the three areas that define sustainability. For this reason, the focus is
on the interaction between what have been defined as the three dimensions of
sustainability – economic, social and environmental – represented in their intersection
on the basis of Elkington’s Triple Bottom Line model – people, planet, profit – whose dynamic interaction seems to still escape a clear and shared interpretation
(Elkington, 1997).
Our interpretative proposal, in this regard, proposes an integration of
Etzkowitz et al.’s Triple Helix Model (1997) with the Triple Bottom Line original
framework. Originally developed in literature with a strong focus on innovation
processes, and with the goal of supporting the so-called ‘Third Mission’ of the
University, the Triple Helix model seems a good reference point from which to
interpret the dynamic of interaction at the basis of the Triple Bottom Line model.
Starting from the rationale underlying the framework, which presents important
sharing points with the view adopted herein, we identify the elements that can
help in understanding and interpreting the evolutionary dynamics deriving from
the interactions between the three areas of sustainability.