Application Framework of Multi-Criteria Methods in Sustainability Assessment

Paweł Ziemba ()
Additional contact information
Paweł Ziemba: Institute of Management, University of Szczecin, Aleja Papieża Jana Pawła II 22 A, 70-453 Szczecin, Poland

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 23, 1-18

Abstract: In the contemporary literature on sustainability, one can notice an increasingly frequent use of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methods instead of classic sustainability indices. The MCDA method should be tailored to the specific sustainability problem and decision situation so that its results are credible and satisfactory for the decision-maker. Therefore, the following research questions arise: (1) which MCDA methods are most often used in sustainability problems, and (2) which methods should be used depending on the characteristics of a particular sustainability decision problem and its assessment. The aim of the article is to scientifically analyse the applicability of various MCDA methods in decision-making problems related to sustainability, sustainable development, and sustainability assessment. In the article, based on the analysis of the literature, a set of features has been developed that determines the possibility of using individual MCDA methods in sustainability problems. Then, the characteristics of 28 methods are presented and the framework for selecting the MCDA method for the purpose of sustainability decision problems is indicated. As a result of the conducted research, it was found that the most commonly used MCDA methods in sustainability problems are primarily methods based on arithmetic aggregation of criteria. In addition, fuzzy methods and fuzzy modifications of classical methods are used more often. Research has established that MCDA methods are more functional than classic sustainability indices. In addition, the use of MCDA methods in the assessment of sustainability gives much more flexibility than the use of classic indices. The proposed framework allows the decision-maker to independently assess the potential of using individual multi-criteria methods in specific decision-making problems related to sustainability. The framework enables the selection of an appropriate MCDA method depending on the defined needs of the decision-maker, resulting from the decision problem, its structure, and decision-making situation.

Keywords: multi-criteria method selection; sustainability assessment; sustainability research; sustainability decision problems; Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis; MCDA; Multi-Criteria Decision-Making; MCDM (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/23/9201/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/23/9201/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:23:p:9201-:d:993553

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().