An Integrated Model for Supporting Aware Decisions of Companies in a Circular and Sustainable Economy Transition

Abstract

The world of business is rapidly changing, not only thanks to digitization and technological transformation, but also to address challenges related to the environment and climate change, and to reduce its impact in terms of waste, emissions, and raw materials. The COVID-19 crisis and the European Green New Deal have also accelerated this transformation process. In this context, companies must be able to evaluate their commitment and contribution to sustainable development, and to adopt lower impact business models. To achieve this aim, companies need easy and accessible measurement tools. The tools currently available are based on quantitative or statistical approaches and require the process of large amounts of data. This approach is easily accessible to large companies, while small companies or craft businesses may be scared off, as they may lack the structures and expertise. This study fills this gap by presenting an innovative and easy-to-access methodology for assessing sustainability in companies. Through a qualitative assessment of interdependence among nine categories grouping multiple environmental, social, and governance indicators, companies can evaluate their impact on the 17 SDGs and on the 3 ESG dimensions. The result can be used by the companies to design strategies for their businesses and plan future actions to improve circular models, thanks to the awareness and benefits gained from the analysis. The methodology has been applied to the case study of Ohoskin © 2021