In order to measure sustainability, scientists use so-called sustainability indicators. These sustainability indicators are instruments that are used to make developments, processes or products measurable in terms of their sustainability. These indicators can be used to analyse, improve and track the social, economic and ecological impact of human activity.
They therefore affect many areas of our lives and are adapted depending on the issues and players involved. For politics, companies, products or consumers, different indicators may be relevant.
At a personal level, for example, the question often arises as to which of two alternatives is more sustainable: the plastic-wrapped cucumber from Germany or the unpackaged organic cucumber from Spain? Or should I keep my old, fully functional fridge or replace it by a new model with higher energy efficiency?
At a political level, for example, a municipality may be faced with the questions of how the construction of a cycle path will reduce CO2 emissions? Or whether the heating systems in public buildings should be replaced?
So, what can sustainability indicators express?
Indicators are key figures that are expressed in a measurable (imaginable) quantity. This makes it possible to compare different options or to show the development over a certain period: e.g. the annual CO2 emissions in Germany from a certain point in time.
Many sustainability indicators are already assigned to the UN’s sustainability goals. Of the 231 UN indicators, 75 selected indicators are anchored in the Germany’s Sustainable Development Strategy.
For example, the indicator "Proportion of sustainably harvested fish stocks in the North and Baltic Seas" is collected for Sustainable Development Goal 14 "Life below water" in Germany. These indicators are relevant for the state level. Many of them are not directly applicable at company, product or consumer level.
Selecting, developing and defining the criteria is still a major challenge for the implementation of the sustainability concept. For example, there is no uniform, standardised set of indicators for ecological and economic indicators. However, operationally applicable indicators are available. The social dimension is often the greatest challenge here.
In any case, it is important to choose indicators that directly reflect the impact on sustainability. For example, recycling rates or the proportion of renewable raw materials are not in themselves target-orientated sustainability indicators, as they do not always lead to better sustainability performance. Rather, they are levering whose potential must be assessed based on their direct impact.
Indicators are often used for the environmental dimension:
- Consumption of resources
- Greenhouse effect
- Depletion of stratospheric ozone
- Land consumption
- Human toxicity
- Ecotoxicity
- Formation of photo oxidants
- Acidification
- Eutrophication
In the economic dimension, the total costs over the life cycle can be determined from the perspective of various stakeholders (producer, consumer, society)
There are indicators for the social dimension:
- Freedom of association & collective bargaining
- Child labour
- Fair pay
- Working hours
- Forced labour
- Equal opportunities/discrimination
- Delocalisation & migration
- Safe & healthy living conditions
- Corruption
- Fair competition
The use of sustainability indicators can help organisations and governments make informed decisions about resource allocation, set priorities and measure progress towards sustainability goals.
Sustainability indicators are important tools for making sustainable development measurable in many areas. They therefore make an important contribution to defining and monitoring measures for sustainable development.
