adjective · academic

sustainable

UK/səˈsteɪnəbl/US/səˈsteɪnəbəl/su·STAIN·a·ble

Band 6-7task2speaking

able to be maintained at a certain rate or level without causing long-term damage to the environment or society

Examples

Cities are investing in sustainable transport to reduce pollution and congestion.

Sustainable energy sources include wind and solar power.

Promoting cycling is a sustainable way to improve urban mobility.

Band 8 sentence

Adopting sustainable transport policies is essential if cities are to meet long-term climate targets while maintaining economic growth.

Collocations

  • sustainable transport
  • sustainable development
  • environmentally sustainable

Word family

sustainable adjectivesustain verbsustainability noun

Common mistakes

green (use 'green' instead of 'sustainable')sustainable

sustenable (spelling)sustainable

Say it for a higher band

5green6environment-friendly7+sustainable

Synonyms

eco-friendly

Easily confused

eco-friendly

The company launched an eco-friendly packaging line to reduce plastic waste.

Related words

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In Transport & Traffic

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