Indexes for fixed and flexible environmental target setting: a decision analytical perspective Online publication date: Wed, 13-Aug-2003
by Pauli Miettinen, Raimo P. Hamalainen
International Journal of Environment and Pollution (IJEP), Vol. 12, No. 2/3, 1999
Abstract: We describe a decision-analytical, structured approach for developing environmental indexes, ensuring them to be explicit and problem-specific. The indexes are used for setting and communicating targets related to a product's environmental performance. Two index models are the fixed model, based on the prevailing tradition, where announced targets must be met in every impact category, and the flexible model, where impacts are aggregated and a target is announced in terms of the aggregated impact, thus enabling trade-offs between the impacts. The flexible model is a new and promising approach, which offers more freedom to reach the target even though more preference information must be modelled. We stress the different viewpoints of those using the index for target setting and of those whose products are evaluated with the index. We do this by differentiating between impacts and stressors and expressing the targets in terms of both. We illustrate the approaches with a hypothetical environmental labelling example.
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Environment and Pollution (IJEP):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:
Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.
If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com
Our Blog 
Follow us on Twitter 
Visit us on Facebook