The foundations of a multi-criteria evaluation methodology for assessing sustainability

The evaluation of technologies that can positively contribute to the Central American coffee industry served as an example of how multi-criteria analysis can be used to assess and promote sustainability within an industry. By including criteria that evaluate the level of resource efficiency, social applicability and environmental soundness, in addition to standard economic measures, the feasibility of technical innovation can be assessed in a manner that promotes sustainability holistically. For the purpose of this study, two technologies were identified that could make use of process by-products within the coffee processing system: anaerobic digestion and solar aquatic systems to extract potential value from process wastewater, and high-efficiency furnaces that minimize the use of firewood and rely primarily on internal waste products (i.e. coffee parchment) as a fuel source. Using the new multi-criteria analysis software, Tetra (created by Dr. Jonathan Barzilai at Scientific Metrics in Halifax, Nova Scotia), a framework was developed to evaluate the applicability of each technology within the context of three different operations. The weights assigned to the various criteria objective functions were different for each operation, and arose from field data collected from the Costa Rican coffee industry between 2002 and 2004.