This report presents a methodology for assessment of the relative sustainability of different remediation options for a contaminated site.
The methodology follows the principles in the ISO standard for sustainable remediation where sustainable remediation is defined as “remediation that eliminates and/or controls unacceptable risks in a safe and timely manner whilst optimizing the environmental, social and economic value of the work”. Thus, the assessment of sustainable remediation covers the assessment of environmental as well as social and economic sustainability indicators.
It is recommended that the sustainability assessment follows a tiered approach. The Tier 1 assessment is an initial early stage assessment. This assessment can be carried out using limited resources and time and is applicable for all sizes of remediation projects.
The Tier 2 assessment represents a more detailed assessment, which is mainly relevant for larger and/or complex contaminated sites. Here the scoring of sustainability indicators is backed up by the use of quantitative assessments, such as life cycle assessment and cost-benefit analysis.
Both assessments results in the calculation of an overall sustainability score calculated as the weighted sum of the individual scores. This score is used to assess the relative sustainability between the compared remediation options. Additionally, the assessment leads to scoring of the effect on the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) based on a coupling between indicator scores and the relevant SDGs.
Sustainable Remediation
This report presents a methodology for assessment of the relative sustainability of different remediation options for a contaminated site.The methodology follows the principles in the ISO standard for sustainable remediation where sustainable remediation is defined as “remediation that eliminates and/or controls unacceptable risks in a safe and timely manner whilst optimizing the environmental, social and economic value of the work”. Thus, the assessment of sustainable remediation covers the assessment of environmental as well as social and economic sustainability indicators.It is recommended that the sustainability assessment follows a tiered approach. The Tier 1 assessment is an initial early stage assessment. This assessment can be carried out using limited resources and time and is applicable for all sizes of remediation projects.The Tier 2 assessment represents a more detailed assessment, which is mainly relevant for larger and/or complex contaminated sites. Here the scoring of sustainability indicators is backed up by the use of quantitative assessments, such as life cycle assessment and cost-benefit analysis.Both assessments results in the calculation of an overall sustainability score calculated as the weighted sum of the individual scores. This score is used to assess the relative sustainability between the compared remediation options. Additionally, the assessment leads to scoring of the effect on the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) based on a coupling between indicator scores and the relevant SDGs.