Sustainability indicators

Rose Nangah Mankaa

Chapter 170 in Elgar Encyclopedia of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, 2026, pp 638-643 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Chapter 40 of the Agenda 21 program of action called for the development and global use of Sustainability Indicators, and this was further emphasized in 1987 with the Brundtland Commission report placing sustainability indicators as solid bases for decision-making at all levels. This review illustrates how sustainability indicators are now used in various sectors, including government, business, and civil society. In particular, for the government sector, sustainability indicators are used to monitor progress towards sustainable development goals and to inform policymaking. There have been numerous contributions in moving from traditional indicators to those that capture the dimensions and multiple characteristics of sustainability. However, challenges still persist, ranging from the complexity of technical indicators to issues of data availability, harmonization, and overpopulation of indicators, particularly in urban contexts. The findings suggest that more concerted efforts in data governance, infrastructure enhancement, and standardization are required.

Keywords: Sustainability Indicators; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Data Governance; Indicator Frameworks; Urban Sustainability; Decision-Making (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035309887
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