triple bottom line (TBL, 3BL, or people, profit, planet)

Refers to a form of total accounting practice that goes beyond the financial bottom line (single bottom line) to also assess and consider the environmental and social impacts of an economic activity. Traditional accounting mostly focuses on financial returns and costs alone. The term triple bottom line was coined by John Elkington in 1994 in his book “Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business”.