The capability approach (CA) gives a static picture of how individual capabilities come about. Sustainable development (SD) deals with societal development, that is, a collective and temporal process. Employing the CA in re-conceptualizing SD thus necessitates accommodating that individual behavior individually and collectively creates feedbacks on natural and social conditions. Acknowledging negative feedbacks of individual behavior on natural conditions allows reasoning the necessity for changing individual behavior. However, since SD constitutes a societal challenge, assigning responsibility for SD to individuals alone overburdens individuals. This contribution argues that employing the CA in re-conceptualizing SD allows explaining the occurrence of such overburden and demonstrating how it can be alleviated.