Integrated Sustainability Assessment: Exergy, Emergy, Life Cycle Assessment

Methodological tools such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Exergy Analysis (ExA), and Emergy (EmA) that account for sustainability indicators in environmental, economic, and/or social dimensions, cannot provide an assessment under these three dimensions a robust way by themselves. This research is proposing framework to obtain unified performance metric (Integrated Sustainability Index, ISI) assess the Triple Bottom Line – TBL. LCA, ExA, EmA are implemented complementary but not interchangeable manner, providing additional information decision-making. The systematic approach on conceptual definition calculation of sustainable social, economic disaggregated indicators. These then systematically combined into Integrated Index (ISI). evaluates from “donor-side” perspective, assigning values environmental efforts investment nature make support flows, materials, services; system boundary geosphere. ExA through exergy efficiency “user-side” evaluation process (system technosphere). LCA it based quantification impact water, soil, air emissions, caused use processing resources products or services method. proposed index presents comprehensible hierarchic structure supported methodologies. integration components also allows adjustment externalities reducing risk subjectivity new assessing sustainability.