Is Amartya Sen's sustainable freedom a broader vision of sustainability?

•The capability approach (CA) is now commonly used in connection with sustainable development (SD).•Recently, the CA has been called upon by Sen in order to redefine SD as sustainable freedom (SF).•For Sen, this concept is aimed at enlarging the current visions of SD.•This article seeks to show that Sen's broader conception of sustainability finally raises many issues.

For several years now, the theme of sustainable development (thereafter “SD”) has been approached through the capability approach (CA). Recently this notion has been used by Sen to propose a redefinition of SD in terms of “sustainable freedom” (SF), meaning: enjoying the actual freedom to choose a standard of living rather than another without affecting negatively the freedom of generations to come. For Sen, this concept is aimed at broadening current understanding of SD. This article seeks to show that Sen's broader concept of sustainability whilst it generates many questions has not actually expanded the concept itself.