Under the influence of various factors having imbalance impact on the economic, social and ecologic sectors related to the traditional model of economic growth, there have outlined new approaches and interpretations of the economic development. The scientific society is called to revise and reformulate the concept of economic development that would have as basis the relationship between the human activities and the natural environment. This concept is not a new one, being just a recent expression of a very old ethic that can be found even in the philosophy of the Ancient Greeks and involves the relationships of human beings with the environment and the current responsibilities before the future generations. In this respect there gradually emerges a new concept that is modern and acceptable for the necessities of the current development – sustainable development.