What Is an Environmental Indicator? To improve the interaction between the company and the environment, it is necessary to perform an Environmental Performance Assessment, which makes it possible to express an opinion on the results of environmental management. To do this, we use the quantities called environmental indicators, whose values are compared with the reference values, useful for understanding what needs to be improved.
Environmental Assessmentsummarize the broad set of environmental data in a small number of essential information packages. In other words, an environmental indicator is an observable and reputable environmental variable that represents, in synthetic form, a simple or complex environmental condition. In this way, Organizations can easily quantify and report environmental performance data and manage their environmental aspects and impacts. The indicators must mainly deal with the most significant environmental impacts and on which the organization can intervene, regarding management, activities, products, and services; must be sensitive enough to reflect changes in environmental impacts. Organizations must also optimally use the collected environmental information; the indicators must, therefore, respond to the dual aim of assisting the management of the Organization and providing information to the interested parties. That said, an indicator can be chosen at will about any environmental aspect and must have the following characteristics Significance: it must be able to express with a number a quantity that concerns the interaction of the company with the environment Representativeness: valid from the scientific point of view and comprehensible to everyone, even to non-experts;