Existing tools used in the framework of environmental performance

Abstract

The monitoring and assessment of Environmental Performance constitutes a critical yet complex area of interest in today's world. The exploration of environmental performance is often not understandable to non-experts, as the challenges, barriers, and data collection to monitor environmental performance are often limited by knowledge, acceptance, involvement of the individual as well as from the use of scattered and non-user-friendly monitoring techniques. Since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, the European Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan a catalytic pathway has been provided for the world's economy and sustainability to harmonize. To provide an even easier pathway regarding the monitoring of these incentives, different assessment tools are being used including Key Performance Indicators, software tools and predictive models, management system and Environmental Standards (ISO 14001, ISO 14031, ISO 37101, ISO 37120, EMAS, Ecolab etc.), providing clear, reliable guidelines and steps concerning the environmental performance of a chosen institution (i.e. Business, city, country etc.). At the same time, the use of software tools for recording and assessing data regarding aspects of environmental performance, can be very beneficial regarding the direct access to data, monitoring of current practice efficiency and effectiveness (i.e. Mobility schedules and air pollution), the extraction and storage of specific historical data, capability of data processing and the creation of reports to be used for the monitoring of the obligations of the country or organization to EU regulations. In this paper, the existing tools for the evaluation and assessment of environmental performance are reviewed, showcasing the plethora of current pathways for choosing valid and reliable monitoring methods for decision-making, in regard to European and local legislations and evaluated using Analytical Hierarchy Process and SWOT analysis.