Abstract
The international debate on sustainable development has traditionally focused on the importance of respecting community values and safeguarding the natural environment, privileging the social and ecological dimensions of sustainable development. In contrast, the financial, managerial and competitive implications have been rather neglected. Such a lack is, in our opinion, extremely critical since the pursuit of sustainable development requires firms to deploy significant financial resources and managerial effort. Assuming a business perspective on sustainable development, this article suggests a framework which may help firms and public institutions to identify the necessary competitive conditions for an effective evolution towards sustainable development, and to understand the major managerial implications of such evolution.
