Preservation is defined as:

• the process of keeping something in existence,
• to keep up or maintain something,
• the act of protecting or safeguarding something from harm or injury,
• keeping possession of, or retaining, what currently exists.

Any way it’s looked at, preservation is not about standing still. In a business context, sustainability demands that two forms of preservation take place. The first is internal and involves the collection and analysis of real-time measurement in production processes and product use. The second form is external and includes keeping ahead of laws and legislation, industry improvements, directives from customers (e.g.: ‘scorecards’ insisting that packaging or toxins be reduced), disruptive trends, and other forms of change.