Sustainable value mapping and analysis methodology: Enabling stakeholder participation to develop localized indicators mapped to broader sustainable development goals

Abstract

The need for sustainability and social responsibility investments is magnified as the world faces a significant loss of ecosystem function and biodiversity. Unfortunately, current assessment and decision-making support tools used to establish local sustainability priorities have limited efficacy. Thus, there is a critical need to design decision-making support tools and assessment models that appropriately fit a specific context. Essentially, they must be more effective in directing our investments in sustainability and social responsibility, both of which influence our future global economic growth. The sustainable value mapping and analysis (SVMA) methodology, presented for the first time in this work, is a tool to engage multi-stakeholder groups in a strategic assessment of the social, environmental, and economic priorities and needs within supply chain operations. This paper introduces the SVMA methodology and applies it to two case studies, California almond growing and California winegrowing systems. The results point to the efficacy of the SVMA and opportunities to use it to develop and evaluate localized sustainability performance and outcomes against broader sustainable development goals (SDGs).