What aspect must economic sustainability balance against profit-making?

Economic sustainability involves the capacity of an economy to maintain growth while ensuring that social and environmental factors are addressed. This concept emphasizes that businesses should not solely focus on profit-making but also consider how their operations affect society and the environment.

Balancing profit-making with social and environmental considerations means that companies must implement practices that minimize negative impacts and promote positive contributions to the community and ecosystem. This can include ensuring fair labor practices, reducing carbon footprints, and participating in corporate social responsibility initiatives.

The other options, while relevant aspects of business operations, do not encapsulate the broader requirement of balancing economic sustainability with profit in the same holistic manner as social and environmental considerations do. Market competition, brand positioning, and technological investment are important factors in a business's strategy, but they do not directly address the sustainability imperative that a modern economy demands.