Why the Triple Bottom Line Fails: Advancing the Jesuit Vision for Sustainability Education in Business

Authors

Trevor Zink, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.Follow
Melissa Fitzpatrick, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.Follow
Justin Nordin, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.Follow
Jeffrey S. Thies, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.Follow

Abstract

This paper critiques the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework as conceptually flawed and ethically insufficient for sustainability education in business. While the TBL aims to balance profit, people, and planet, its logic prioritizes profitability, rendering social and environmental goals conditional and marginal. We argue that this framing undermines critical thinking, moral imagination, and ecological literacy in business students—especially within Jesuit institutions, which are called to form conscientious leaders. Drawing on Jesuit educational tradition, we propose a reorientation of business purpose around economic sufficiency rather than profit maximization, guided by integral ecology and the common good. This shift invites a more honest engagement with tradeoffs and fosters the formation of future business leaders as ecological citizens capable of imagining just and sustainable economic systems.

Recommended Citation

Zink, Trevor; Fitzpatrick, Melissa; Nordin, Justin; and Thies, Jeffrey S. (2025) "Why the Triple Bottom Line Fails: Advancing the Jesuit Vision for Sustainability Education in Business," Journal of Management for Global Sustainability: Vol. 13: Iss. 2, Article 3.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13185/2244-6893.1291
Available at: https://archium.ateneo.edu/jmgs/vol13/iss2/3