An analysis of the sustainability index of micro- and small-sized furniture industries

• DOI: 10.1007/s10098-017-1372-7
• Publication Date: 2017-05-30T04:43:22Z
• Authors: Alexandre André Feil; Daniela Muller de...; Dusan Schreiber
• Keywords: 0502 economics and business; 05 social sciences; 11. Sustainability; 12. Responsible consumption

The measurement of the sustainability level can bring benefits to organizations, particularly in integrating traditional and sustainable management. Thus, the scope of this study is to structure a process to measure the sustainability level, specifically in micro- and small-sized enterprises that belong to the furniture industry, providing them the possibility to measure and monitor their sustainability level through indicators, subindices and a sustainability index. Currently, there is no system for measuring the level of sustainability and its integration in the management of furniture industries. Thus, the system proposed in this article can be considered unprecedented. This measurement system comprises the equations of measurement, standardization, weighting and aggregation of indicators in a sustainability index. The practical application was carried out in nine furniture industries. The results demonstrate that the indicators, subindices and index of sustainability are adequate to diagnose their sustainability level, revealing negligence with environmental aspects. Our conclusion is that the proposed method to measure the sustainability level of micro- and small-sized industries is consistent and reflects the reality of the furniture industry. Furthermore, its efficient use should consider a joint analysis of indicators and subindices. Finally, its integration with the management process of the industries enables a diagnosis, without additional information efforts, of the strengths and weaknesses of environmental, social and economic aspects.