Abstract
The objective of this article is to present a redefinition of the concept of sustainability. From this perspective, sustainability is conceived as a transformative, systemic, ethical, and regenerative praxis aimed at ensuring the dignified, just, and harmonious continuity of life on the planet through the conscious and shared management of interactions among ecological, social, economic, and governance systems. The proposal arises in response to the conceptual and operational limitations of previous definitions, as well as the need for a framework that rigorously links theory and practice within contemporary contexts of high complexity. The proposal was developed through an exhaustive and comparative documentary analysis, enriched by criteria of conceptual triangulation and expert validation. The definition was contrasted with consolidated international frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles, the ISO 26000 International Standard on Social Responsibility, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), and the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) created by the Financial Stability Board. The RADAR4 sustainability assessment model, used as an integrative reference, enabled the articulation of operational and strategic indicators that provide the proposed definition with applicability, measurability, and adaptability across different scales and sectors, including companies, government entities, universities, and non-governmental organizations. The results show that the proposal overcomes historical limitations by incorporating verifiable metrics, traceability criteria, and a flexible approach that facilitates convergence among public policies, corporate strategies, and community action. Altogether, the redefinition constitutes a theoretical, scientific, and operational contribution of high value, with the potential to become an academic and normative reference, strengthening the integration between theory, policy, and practice in the global sustainability agenda. The article is structured in five parts. The first is this introduction, which presents the central problem: redefining the concept of sustainability in the face of current challenges. The second part, the theoretical framework, reviews the historical evolution of the concept, the main academic debates, and existing conceptual gaps. The third part refers to the methodology, explaining the hermeneutic-constructivist approach and the analytical criteria used. In the fourth part, results and discussion, the new conceptual proposal of sustainability is presented and compared with international frameworks. Finally, the fifth part, devoted to conclusions, synthesizes the theoretical and practical contributions of the proposal, highlighting its applicability and future research pathways.