How can you evaluate process design alternatives for sustainability?

1 Define the criteria

The first step is to define the criteria that you will use to evaluate the process design alternatives. These criteria should reflect the goals and values of your organization, your stakeholders, and your context. Some common criteria are environmental impact, social responsibility, economic viability, technical feasibility, and innovation potential. You can use a weighted scoring system or a qualitative ranking system to compare the alternatives based on these criteria.

2 Assess the life cycle

The second step is to assess the life cycle of each process design alternative. This means analyzing the environmental, social, and economic impacts of the process from cradle to grave, or from raw material extraction to disposal or recycling. You can use a life cycle assessment (LCA) method to quantify and compare the impacts of the alternatives. LCA can help you identify the hotspots, trade-offs, and opportunities for improvement in each process design.

3 Apply the principles

The third step is to apply the principles of sustainable process design to each alternative. These principles are guidelines or best practices that can help you optimize the process for sustainability. Some examples of these principles are: reduce, reuse, and recycle; use renewable and low-impact resources; minimize waste and emissions; enhance efficiency and productivity; and design for durability and adaptability. You can use a checklist or a matrix to evaluate how well each alternative follows these principles.

4 Involve the stakeholders

The fourth step is to involve the stakeholders in the evaluation process. Stakeholders are the people or groups that are affected by or have an interest in the process design. They can include customers, employees, suppliers, regulators, communities, and others. You can use various methods to engage the stakeholders, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, workshops, or simulations. Stakeholder involvement can help you gain feedback, insights, perspectives, and support for the process design alternatives.

5 Test the scenarios

The fifth step is to test the scenarios of each process design alternative. Scenarios are hypothetical situations or stories that describe how the process design would perform under different conditions or uncertainties. You can use various tools to create and test the scenarios, such as simulation models, decision trees, sensitivity analysis, or risk analysis. Scenario testing can help you assess the robustness, resilience, and flexibility of each process design alternative.

6 Review the results

The sixth step is to review the results of the evaluation process. This means summarizing and communicating the findings, strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations of each process design alternative. You can use various formats to present the results, such as reports, dashboards, graphs, or charts. You can also use various techniques to facilitate the discussion and decision making, such as SWOT analysis, cost-benefit analysis, or multi-criteria analysis. Reviewing the results can help you select the best process design alternative for sustainability.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?