The common points and interactions between sustainability and competitiveness

Gór, Arnold

Keywords: sustainable development, competitiveness, CAP reform, environment, green economy

The scientific answers given to the questions connected to the notions of sustainability, sustainable development and competitiveness are not considered to be indisputable. There are different schools of thought and views in connection with the topic. Together with the practices change in the conditions of of production etc., this can explain why the need to find answers to the numerous questions has not lost its urgency even now. This article analyses the common elements of sustainability and competitiveness, and the nature of their interaction. Through a detailed review of the literature it can be concluded that sustainability and sustainable development are two distinct concepts: while the first is a principle, the second is an instrument of implementation. It is also the case that the principles and requirements of competitiveness and sustainability are becoming closer to each other over time, and that their implementation will have to be simultaneous in the practical economy, even though for decades they have been applied to different extents. It can already be experienced, but it can also be visualised for the future that the requirements of society from production methods may have already changed. These new requirement will strengthen the demand to produce competitive products from sustainable operations which need to be coupled with the competitiveness of the product. . This can only take place if the demand generated by the consumer society also generates competition between the various economic actors. In the long-term competitiveness the issues of sustainability are already included, but currently this is not associated with desired level of the change in social attitudes, which can be illustrated by numerous examples.

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