Sustainability Indicators: Review Organization Database

The categories, indicators and units represented in this dataset are derived from the final 40 papers that were deemed appropriate for categorization using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) method to represent relevant sustainability indicators within the manufacturing, materials, and biomass industries under the four pillars of sustainability (environment, economic, social and technical) in their entirety. Although certain indicators exhibited several overlaps between pillars (e.g., socio-economic, techno-economic, enviro-socio-economic), these indicators have been restricted to one pillar and one category each to better understand their place within these disciplines and pillars—and avoid double counting. A database was created in Microsoft Access such that each indicator could be thoroughly reviewed and sorted to ensure its appropriateness to the respective category, checking for gaps in data, and filling them accordingly. The complete Access database, data files, and supplemental information can be found here.

The discussion and reasoning for categorization can be found within the accompanying manuscript published in the Journal of Sustainable Development (DOI:10.5539/jsd.v12n1p55).