Measuring the sustainability of a paper mill with indicators based on environmental utility space

Sustainability indicators for production systems are useful tools when realizing a sustainable development. In this paper a method to measure sustainability is elaborated and tested. The method is based on the idea that ecological sustainability can be measured by comparing the environmental use of a production system with the allocated environmental utility space. The sustainability of a paper mill is measured and the results are presented. Social and scientific problems in measuring sustainability are identified and possible solutions are suggested. The case study indicates that measuring sustainability necessitates some assumptions, and formulates an explicit vision on nature and society. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment