While both the scientific discourse on the capability approach and the scientific discourse regarding sustainable development in general, and sustainability theory specifically, are broad and well developed, the two discourses are more or less separated. In this contribution I ask if and how far the capability approach can be employed in developing a conception of sustainable development. To this end, I will draw on a formal framework regarding normative theories of sustainable development, distinguishing two dimensions of sustainable development. Subsequently, I will explore if and how far the capability approach offers substantial answers with regard to the questions outlined in this framework. In so doing, I will distinguish the interpretation of the capability approach by Amartya K. Sen and Martha C. Nussbaum respectively.
