Understanding Sustainability, One Definition at a Time
At Global Green Sustainability Impact (GGSI), we believe that sustainability begins with knowledge. Our Sustainability Glossary has been developed by sustainability professionals to help businesses, government agencies, tourism operators, manufacturers, developers, financial institutions, students, and communities understand the terminology used across environmental, social, governance (ESG), climate change, circular economy, and sustainable development.
Whether you are beginning your sustainability journey or preparing for international certifications such as ISO standards, GRI, GSTC, Travelife, Green Key, SBTi, or the GHG Protocol, our glossary provides clear, practical, and science-based explanations.
Explore the categories below to build your sustainability knowledge.
Climate & Carbon Glossary
Understanding climate change, greenhouse gases, carbon accounting, and Net Zero.
A–C
- Absolute Emissions
- Additionality
- Adaptation
- Anthropogenic Emissions
- Atmospheric Carbon
- Avoided Emissions
- Baseline Emissions
- Biochar
- Biogenic Carbon
- Carbon Accounting
- Carbon Budget
- Carbon Capture
- Carbon Credit
- Carbon Footprint
- Carbon Intensity
- Carbon Neutrality
- Carbon Offset
- Carbon Pricing
- Carbon Sequestration
- Carbon Sink
- Climate Change
- Climate Mitigation
D–F
- Decarbonisation
- Direct Emissions
- Double Counting
- Emission Factor
- Emissions Inventory
- Energy Efficiency
- Environmental Product Declaration
- Fossil Fuels
…and continuing alphabetically.
ESG Glossary
Everything businesses need to understand Environmental, Social and Governance.
Topics include:
- ESG
- Materiality Assessment
- Double Materiality
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Sustainability Reporting
- GRI
- SASB
- IFRS S1
- IFRS S2
- Integrated Reporting
- CSRD
- Corporate Governance
- Human Rights Due Diligence
- Responsible Procurement
- Supply Chain Transparency
Circular Economy Glossary
Learn how waste becomes resources.
Topics include:
- Circular Economy
- Linear Economy
- Closed Loop
- Open Loop Recycling
- Upcycling
- Downcycling
- Resource Recovery
- Industrial Symbiosis
- Repair
- Refurbishment
- Remanufacturing
- Product Life Cycle
- Extended Producer Responsibility
- Waste Hierarchy
- Zero Waste
- Material Recovery Facility
- Composting
- Anaerobic Digestion
- Biogas
- Biofertiliser
Waste Management Glossary
Covering all aspects of sustainable waste management.
Topics include:
- Municipal Solid Waste
- Hazardous Waste
- Healthcare Waste
- Food Waste
- Organic Waste
- Plastic Pollution
- Marine Litter
- Source Segregation
- Waste Audit
- Waste Characterisation
- Recycling
- Reuse
- Recovery
- Landfill
- Incineration
- Leachate
- Waste Diversion Rate
Water Sustainability Glossary
Helping organisations protect water resources.
Topics include:
- Water Footprint
- Blue Water
- Green Water
- Grey Water
- Water Stewardship
- Water Efficiency
- Wastewater
- Rainwater Harvesting
- Stormwater
- Water Recycling
- Water Balance
- Water Stress
- Water Scarcity
- Aquifer
- Desalination
Biodiversity & Nature Glossary
Protecting ecosystems and natural capital.
Topics include:
- Biodiversity
- Ecosystem Services
- Natural Capital
- Habitat Restoration
- Rewilding
- Native Species
- Endemic Species
- Invasive Species
- Pollinators
- Conservation
- Nature Positive
- No Net Loss
- Biodiversity Net Gain
- Ecological Restoration
- Wetlands
Sustainable Tourism Glossary
Designed specifically for hotels, destinations and tourism operators.
Topics include:
- Sustainable Tourism
- Responsible Tourism
- Regenerative Tourism
- Carrying Capacity
- Community Tourism
- Destination Stewardship
- Cultural Heritage
- Ecotourism
- Visitor Management
- GSTC
- Green Key
- Travelife
- Good Travel Seal
- Sustainable Accommodation
- Visitor Economy
Sustainable Finance Glossary
Helping organisations understand green finance.
Topics include:
- Green Finance
- Sustainable Finance
- Green Bond
- Sustainability Linked Loan
- Carbon Markets
- Climate Risk
- Transition Risk
- Physical Risk
- ESG Investment
- Impact Investment
- Green Taxonomy
Renewable Energy Glossary
Topics include:
- Renewable Energy
- Solar PV
- Wind Energy
- Biomass
- Hydropower
- Battery Storage
- Microgrid
- Renewable Energy Certificate
- Power Purchase Agreement
- Grid Emission Factor
Sustainable Supply Chain Glossary
Topics include:
- Responsible Sourcing
- Supplier Code of Conduct
- Supplier Assessment
- Traceability
- Modern Slavery
- Ethical Procurement
- Scope 3 Emissions
- Local Procurement
- Sustainable Purchasing
Sustainable Agriculture Glossary
Topics include:
- Regenerative Agriculture
- Agroforestry
- Organic Farming
- Soil Carbon
- Precision Agriculture
- Integrated Pest Management
- Compost
- Biofertiliser
- Cover Crops
Climate Risk & Resilience Glossary
Topics include:
- Climate Adaptation
- Climate Resilience
- Disaster Risk Reduction
- Vulnerability Assessment
- Scenario Analysis
- Flood Risk
- Heat Stress
- Resilience Planning
Sustainability Reporting Glossary
Topics include:
- Sustainability Report
- GRI Standards
- SDGs
- Material Topics
- KPI
- ESG Dashboard
- Assurance
- Limited Assurance
- Reasonable Assurance
- Reporting Boundary
ISO Standards Glossary
Topics include:
- ISO 14001
- ISO 14064
- ISO 14046
- ISO 14067
- ISO 50001
- ISO 20121
- ISO 59004
- ISO 59010
- ISO 59020
- ISO 26000
- ISO 9001
- ISO 45001
Sustainable Hospitality Glossary
Designed specifically for hotels and resorts.
Topics include:
- Guest Night
- Occupancy
- Carbon per Guest Night
- Water per Guest Night
- Waste per Guest Night
- Food Waste
- Linen Reuse
- Green Housekeeping
- Local Procurement
- Sustainable Cuisine
- Responsible Guest Behaviour
Sustainable Construction Glossary
Topics include:
- Embodied Carbon
- Operational Carbon
- Green Building
- LEED
- BREEAM
- Passive Design
- Life Cycle Assessment
- Circular Buildings
Sustainable Manufacturing Glossary
Topics include:
- Cleaner Production
- Resource Efficiency
- Eco-efficiency
- Lean Manufacturing
- Industrial Ecology
- Zero Waste Manufacturing
Featured Definition Example
Carbon Footprint
A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organisation, product, service, event, or activity. It is typically measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e) and includes emissions from energy use, transportation, waste, purchased goods and services, and other activities across the value chain.
Businesses calculate their carbon footprint using internationally recognised standards such as the GHG Protocol, ISO 14064-1, and relevant national emission factors. Measuring a carbon footprint is the first step toward reducing emissions, improving operational efficiency, and achieving Net Zero commitments.
Why GGSI’s Glossary Would Stand Out
Compared with a basic carbon glossary, GGSI could position itself as a comprehensive sustainability knowledge platform by offering:
- More than 800 sustainability definitions across all major ESG topics.
- Definitions tailored to hospitality, manufacturing, tourism, construction, agriculture, and finance.
- Cross-links to related concepts, standards, and services.
- Practical examples from Sri Lanka and international best practices.
- Downloadable guides, infographics, and explanatory videos.
- References to globally recognized frameworks such as the GHG Protocol, ISO standards, GRI, GSTC, Travelife, Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This would make GGSI’s glossary not only a learning resource but also a strong search-engine asset that can attract professionals, students, and organizations looking for authoritative sustainability information.
