--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sustainability: It's the right thing to…" description: "\"Sustainability: It's the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do, it's the profitable thing to do.\" — Hunter Lovins" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/hunter-lovins-67231_environment_sustainability-it-s-the-right-thing-to-d_105585.png" --- # Sustainability: It's the right thing to do, it's the smart… ![“Sustainability: It's the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do, it's the profitable thing to do.” quote by Hunter Lovins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/hunter-lovins-67231_environment_sustainability-it-s-the-right-thing-to-d_105585.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/hunter-lovins-67231_environment_sustainability-it-s-the-right-thing-to-d_105585.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/hunter-lovins-67231_environment_sustainability-it-s-the-right-thing-to-d_105585.png) > “Sustainability: It's the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do, it's the profitable thing to do.” Hunter Lovins ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sustainability aligns moral, practical, and financial incentives, making it a comprehensive solution for businesses and societies. **In simple terms:** Sustainability benefits ethics, efficiency, profit. Key Takeaway Eco‑friendly practices are also economically smart. Themes environment economics ethics business strategy Mood optimistic inspirational Type advocacy strategic When to use this quote - corporate ESG reporting - government policy making - community renewable projects Key Concepts triple bottom line systems thinking Practical Applications - integrate sustainability metrics into KPIs - invest in green technologies Questions to Reflect On - What barriers prevent firms from adopting sustainable models? - How can profit motives be better aligned with environmental goals? A Different Perspective Short‑term costs can deter adoption despite long‑term gains. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Right thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-thing/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) [Sustainability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sustainability/) [Things to do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-to-do/) ## Related quotes > [“A person should neither serious nor curious, to the thing which will not profitable for him/her life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashid-jorvee/a-person-should-neither-serious-nor-curious-to-the-thing-which-will/) [Rashid Jorvee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashid-jorvee/) > [It's the most righteous, which of course is not the same thing as the most profitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/it-s-the-most-righteous-which-of-course-is-not-the-same-thing-as-the/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [It is a profitable thing, if one is wise, to seem foolish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/it-is-a-profitable-thing-if-one-is-wise-to-seem-foolish/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [If we don't get sustainability right in agriculture first, it won't happen anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-jackson/if-we-don-t-get-sustainability-right-in-agriculture-first-it-won-t/) [Wes Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-jackson/) > [Honesty is a good thing, but it is not profitable to its possessor unless it is kept under control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/honesty-is-a-good-thing-but-it-is-not-profitable-to-its-possessor/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [ We \[H&M\] believe that growth, profit and sustainability are not contradictory. Our ambition is to be a fair and profitable company, because otherwise we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-johan-persson/we-h-m-believe-that-growth-profit-and-sustainability-are-not/) Karl-Johan Persson > [Sustainability at Nike means being laser-focused on evolving our business model to deliver profitable growth while leveraging the efficiencies of lean manufacturing, minimizing our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-parker/sustainability-at-nike-means-being-laser-focused-on-evolving-our/) [Mark Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-parker/) > [“any experience is profitable if you allow it to be, all actions are profitable, no matter how badly you may suffer from them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/any-experience-is-profitable-if-you-allow-it-to-be-all-actions-are/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“The investments we make in ourselves will always deliver the most profitable returns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sumner-davenport/the-investments-we-make-in-ourselves-will-always-deliver-the-most/) [Sumner Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sumner-davenport/) > [“There is nothing more profitable than the extreme avant garde.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvia-hartmann/there-is-nothing-more-profitable-than-the-extreme-avant-garde/) [Silvia Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvia-hartmann/) > [The company must be profitable. Preferably it will have increased its earnings for the past five years and there will have been no deficits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cundill/the-company-must-be-profitable-preferably-it-will-have-increased-its/) [Peter Cundill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cundill/) > [For Scripture is the school of the Holy Spirit, in which, as nothing is omitted that is both necessary and useful to know, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/for-scripture-is-the-school-of-the-holy-spirit-in-which-as-nothing-is/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Poverty is curable, but it’s just not done, because it's not profitable. And that is the kind of violence that's perpetuated on humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-morello/poverty-is-curable-but-it-s-just-not-done-because-it-s-not-profitable/) [Tom Morello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-morello/) > [Cities need old buildings so badly it is probably impossible for vigorous streets and districts to grow without them… for really new ideas of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/cities-need-old-buildings-so-badly-it-is-probably-impossible-for/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [Some persons are so inclined to mortify themselves that at every opportunity they have, they do so. What a beautiful practice this is, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonsus-rodriguez/some-persons-are-so-inclined-to-mortify-themselves-that-at-every/) Alphonsus Rodriguez ## More by Hunter Lovins > [If we use resources productively and take to heart the lessons learned from coping with the energy crisis, we face a future confronted only,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-lovins/if-we-use-resources-productively-and-take-to-heart-the-lessons/) Hunter Lovins > [Did we put our kids in 0.5-mile-per-gallon (mpg) tanks and 17 feet per gallon aircraft carriers because we failed to put them in 32-mpg cars?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-lovins/did-we-put-our-kids-in-0-5-mile-per-gallon-mpg-tanks-and-17-feet-per/) Hunter Lovins > [When parents watch scientist after scientist describe the dangers of GM foods, I wouldn't want to be a stubborn food service director trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-lovins/when-parents-watch-scientist-after-scientist-describe-the-dangers-of/) Hunter Lovins Explore all 4 Hunter Lovins quotes ## More Environment quotes > [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/) [John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/) > [This welfare for wealthy companies wastes taxpayer dollars, harms the environment, and makes a mockery of the recent reductions in federal social spending programs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/this-welfare-for-wealthy-companies-wastes-taxpayer-dollars-harms-the/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [They paved paradise and put up a parkin lot With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot Don't it always seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/they-paved-paradise-and-put-up-a-parkin-lot-with-a-pink-hotel-a/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/to-assist-a-child-we-must-provide-him-with-an-environment-which-will/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Daily life is both the subject and environment of the work I am making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-henrot/daily-life-is-both-the-subject-and-environment-of-the-work-i-am-making/) [Camille Henrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-henrot/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are many more traits that the climate deniers share with the creationists and Holocaust deniers and others who distort the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-r-prothero/there-are-many-more-traits-that-the-climate-deniers-share-with-the/) [Donald R. Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-r-prothero/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [It's the same with this idea of a literate public, and also of a democracy in which people have access to and really read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/it-s-the-same-with-this-idea-of-a-literate-public-and-also-of-a/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [Of course, learning is strengthened and solidified when it occurs in a safe, secure and normal environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-bertrand-aristide/of-course-learning-is-strengthened-and-solidified-when-it-occurs-in-a/) [Jean-Bertrand Aristide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-bertrand-aristide/) [Browse all 8,669 Environment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sustainability: It's the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do, it's the profitable thing to do.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hunter Lovins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-lovins/sustainability-it-s-the-right-thing-to-do-it-s-the-smart-thing-to-do/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Environment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-lovins/sustainability-it-s-the-right-thing-to-do-it-s-the-smart-thing-to-do/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/hunter-lovins-67231_environment_sustainability-it-s-the-right-thing-to-d_105585.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/hunter-lovins-67231_environment_sustainability-it-s-the-right-thing-to-d_105585.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/hunter-lovins-67231_environment_sustainability-it-s-the-right-thing-to-d_105585.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sustainability: It's the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do, it's the profitable thing to do.” — Hunter Lovins", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Hunter Lovins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-lovins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sustainability: It's the right thing to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-lovins/sustainability-it-s-the-right-thing-to-do-it-s-the-smart-thing-to-do/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-lovins/sustainability-it-s-the-right-thing-to-do-it-s-the-smart-thing-to-do/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```