The Three Ps: People

When we talk about sustainability, many immediately think about environmental initiatives – energy savings, recycling, or reducing waste. But truly sustainable practice goes beyond the environment and rests on three key pillars

These are often called the Three Ps: People, Planet, and Profit. Over a three-part series, we’ll explore each of these pillars, what they mean, and how they can be applied in your practice to deliver long-term value for both staff and the community.

What Is Social Sustainability?

Social sustainability is the “people side” of sustainable practice. It focuses on culture, wellbeing and social equity, ensuring the long-term health of your team and community while running day-to-day operations. Social sustainability is closely connected to environmental practices and the quality of your physical spaces – because the environments your staff and patients occupy directly affect behaviour, engagement and wellbeing.

Social sustainability can be understood through four core areas:

Fairness and equity – making sure people are treated fairly and have access to opportunities

Community well-being – supporting both internal teams and the wider community

Human rights – protecting the rights and dignity of everyone who interacts with your practice

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – creating a workplace culture where everyone feels included

In a global context, social sustainability could mean ensuring everyone has access to clean water. Within a practice setting, it could involve providing comfortable and accessible workspaces, well-ventilated treatment rooms and safe communal areas for staff and clients.

Why Consider People First?

Often, sustainability is framed around how humans impact the environment, with people seen as the “catalyst” rather than the “recipient.” In reality, these aspects are closely linked – how the environment affects people matters just as much.

For practices, this means thinking about how your physical and organisational environment affects staff, clients and visitors. For example, promoting biodiversity or green spaces such as quiet gardens is positive, but not if clients or team members have allergies or accessibility needs. By putting people first, your practice can create spaces that are safe, inclusive and supportive – which in turn encourages broader sustainable behaviours, like energy-saving practices or responsible resource use.

Human Wellbeing and Social Equity

Social sustainability goes beyond appreciating your surroundings; it’s about creating environments where people feel included, respected and empowered to take ownership of their space. When staff feel that the environment supports them, they are far more likely to engage with sustainable practices, from recycling to energy efficiency initiatives.

In practice, this could involve:

• Designing treatment rooms, offices and areas that accommodate all users’ needs
• Ensuring facilities such as drinking water are accessible and functional
• Creating areas that balance usability, client safety and environmental considerations

Looking Ahead

Next time, we’ll turn to Planet, the second of the Three Ps, and explore how practices can implement environmentally sustainable strategies that complement social sustainability while protecting resources for the long term.