Certain expressions frequently used in business circles in recent times can be traced back to the thinking of John Elkington. This English sociologist, who for the past 30 of his 58 years of age has concerned himself with issues of the environment and, more recently, sustainability, coined phrases such as “triple bottom line” (the idea that companies should measure the value they add, or destroy, not only at the economic level, but also the social and environmental levels) and its more popular version “PPP - people, planet and profit”...[John says:]...[companies] have made a lot of progress...When the concept [sustainability] was created, most of the leading companies...were focused on the environment. Some of them only thought in terms of how much they could save by reducing their energy consumption...Many companies, especially in the US, have a difficulty with the social dimension of sustainable development or the “triple bottom line”. [refers to Wal-Mart, General Electric, Swiss Re]