Sustainability Assessment Methods and Tools in a Realistic Industrial Context

The aim of the European SAMT project is to review and make recommendations about the most potential methods for evaluating sustainability in the process industry, focusing especially on energy and resource efficiency. A new study report was published (2.2) presenting best practice solutions. On a practical level, methods and tools currently applied by the industries were tested and compared with existing methods that were considered promising and powerful in order to assess either the overall sustainability, or energy and resource efficiency. Within the cases, the applicability and comparability of the methods is evaluated, and future research and development needs are identified. Within the case studies the focus was on both the implementation process and the results delivered by each method. Basing on this research setting, the report discusses the value added of the different methods and presents a number of identified barriers that potentially undermine sustainability assessment within the process industry.

Within the SAMT, comissioned by the European Commisson and run by partners in science and in industry, the Wuppertal Institute works out an overview of existing sustainability assessment methods and tools. Michael Ritthoff is one of the report's authors. The "Deliverable 2.2 Case Study Report: Analysis of best practice solutions in comparison with currently used techniques" is available for download at the SAMT website (Deliverables).

The final workshop of the SAMT project will be held on 6 October in Brussels.