Development of a Robust Index to Quantify Resource Use Improvements of Organisations

Abstract

This paper discusses the development of a method that enables organisations to demonstrate progress in reducing the consumption of natural resources for the entirety of their assessed activities over time. The method is based on organisational life cycle assessments (O-LCA) and the evaluation of the environmental impact of improvement measures regarding resource use within the life cycle of the organisation’s activities. The results of the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA), which is part of the O-LCA, are used to derive the Resource Index. This index shows the development of an organisation in terms of resource efficiency and resource conservation in a single key figure. The use of the Resource Index instead of several different key figures simplifies the tracking of improvements in resource use over time. Another advantage of this approach is that this index is not sensitive to changes in LCIA methods used, economic fluctuations or structural organisational changes. The method has been tested with data from various industrial companies and can be applied to single production sites right through to complex organisations. It helps to draw up action plans, to set targets, to predict the effects of measures and to establish continuous improvement (e.g. in the framework of a PDCA cycle of quality management processes).