There are a wide range of definitions for what Sustainable development encompasses, but the most frequently quoted definition is from a report by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) titled “Our Common Future”, which is widely referred to as the Brundtland Report.

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts:

• the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and
• the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs."

Sustainable development focuses on improving the quality of life for the global population without increasing the use of natural resources beyond the capacity of the earth. Sustainable development requires us to see the world as a system.  Increased wood furniture consumption in North America may directly lead to deforestation in South America and air pollution in low-cost manufacturing Asia which both might raise CO2 levels and thus increase global warming, which in turn might lead to melting of glaciers in Europe and desertification in Africa.  In a system everything is connected. Sustainable development thus requires actions designed to improve quality of life while minimizing any negative short-term or long-term effects on any part of the system.