Sustainability begins with sufficiency

 

Sufficiency, not excess, is the true beginning of sustainability — a principle that binds conscience to science and restores the moral dimension to how we build, live, and prosper in balance with our planet.

In most discussions of sustainability, the conversation begins with efficiency: advanced technologies, renewable energy, and digital intelligence. Yet before all of that lies a more fundamental question — what is enough?

True sustainability arises from the wisdom of sufficiency: the discipline of living within our ecological means. It is neither austerity nor restriction for its own sake, but a state of equilibrium in which human need no longer overwhelms natural capacity. Sufficiency is not a limit; it is liberation from waste and the rediscovery of proportion.

At the Saudi Green Building Forum, we established the saaf® conformity assessment scheme upon this conviction — that performance gains are meaningful only when anchored in balance. Sustainability cannot be measured solely by speed or scale, but by fairness and moral symmetry. Sufficiency defines that symmetry. It challenges the modern impulse for “more” and reframes progress as the pursuit of enough.

Sufficiency is the art of harmony — between people and resources, ambition and reality. Innovation should not be an instrument of endless accumulation, but a vehicle for dignified coexistence.

Efficiency tells us how well we act — how many kilograms of material per square meter, or how many kilowatts per square meter are consumed.

Sufficiency asks how much we ought to act at all — kilograms or liters per person, measured against reason rather than appetite.

As I often remind my colleagues, “Efficiency optimizes systems; sufficiency humanizes them.”

To translate this philosophy into measurable form, we conceived the Sufficiency Composite Index  — a mathematical expression of “enoughness.” The index compares actual use with target use across five domains: water, energy, materials, infrastructure, and human experience.

The meaning of sufficiency is vividly reflected in Al-Qassim, a region that has turned its desert heartland into a living model of balance and productivity

Faisal Al-Fadl

When the index attains balance (SCI ≥ 0.80), a project is considered sufficient; below that threshold, corrective measures are required. The rule is uncompromising yet just: excellence in one field cannot absolve deficiency in another. A building cannot squander water simply because it conserves energy.

Through this formulation, an ethical principle becomes a practical instrument — a compass for design, policy, and accountability.

The meaning of sufficiency is vividly reflected in Al-Qassim, a region that has turned its desert heartland into a living model of balance and productivity. Here, agriculture is guided by respect for nature’s rhythm — water is drawn only as needed, and palm cultivation reflects both abundance and restraint. In Qassim, sufficiency is not an abstract concept but a daily practice: a circular agricultural economy that transforms moderation into prosperity, proving that true wealth lies in wisdom, not in excess.

This philosophy mirrors the spirit of Saudi Vision 2030 and reinforces the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those addressing water, energy, cities, and responsible consumption. It provides governments, industries, and citizens with a coherent path to measure advancement not merely by output, but by fairness, restraint, and respect for limits.

Ultimately, I regard sufficiency as both a formula and a sentiment — the quiet realization that sustainability begins when humanity rediscovers moderation. It reconciles conscience with calculation and transforms sustainability from a policy framework into a philosophy of living.

When guided by the wisdom of time and the proportion of space, sufficiency bestows upon efficiency its true moral purpose. That is the equilibrium I believe in — a future where we build wisely, live humbly, and sustain generously.

• Faisal Al-Fadl is secretary-general of Saudi Green Building Forum.