DEFINING ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS: AN INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK

Environmental performance indicators are becoming increasingly important at the company level. This is due, in part, to stakeholders demanding environmental improvements and proof that these have been made. The need for an integrated framework for environmental performance indicators is considered; the indicators fall into four categories: the state of the environment; corporate environmental policy; environmental management systems; and the products and processes of the company as evaluated by an ecobalance improvement. The state of the environment evaluates the company's relative contribution to the national and European environmental impact and hence the companies' own impact compared with the reference document Europe's Environment: Statistical Compendium for the Dobris Assessment. Corporate environmental policy is the basis of the framework and 21 key aims are suggested to ensure that comprehensive statements are produced and that all significant environmental initiatives undertaken by the company receive recognition. The environmental management system indicators are divided into qualitative and quantitative economic indicators and quantitative non-economic indicators to evaluate environmental performance. The ecobalance tool is used to evaluate the environmental performance of the company's products and processes.