Assessment of Efficiency and Sustainability in a Chemical Industry Using Goal Programming and AHP

Abstract

Abstract This paper proposes a methodology for continuous assessment and improvement of the efficiency and sustainability in a Chemical Industry. This segment was chosen due to its importance both in the international (sixth largest worldwide revenues) and in Brazilian economic scenario (fourth segment in importance in the formation of industrial GDP). An exploratory analysis was performed by applying nonparametric techniques to measure and compare the efficiency and sustainability in a fictitious chemical production plant. The analyzed variables were identified and it was defined the importance (weight) of each of these by using the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) method. It was defined a standard to be used as a benchmark and it was identified the implemented actions (projects) to achieve the proposed targets, using the technique of Goal Programming. The variables were defined considering sustainability and efficiency performance indicators. For sustainability were used as reference the standards defined in “Responsible Care®” program and the efficiency performance indicators were chosen considering some key items used by the market to assess efficiency of a production plant.