Evaluating sustainability of household consumption - using DEA to assess environmental performance

TY - JOUR

T1 - Evaluating sustainability of household consumption - using DEA to assess environmental performance

AU - Wier, Mette

AU - Christoffersen, Line Block

AU - Jensen, Trine S.

AU - G. Pedersen, Ole

AU - Keiding, Hans

AU - Munksgaard, Jesper

PY - 2005

Y1 - 2005

N2 - We assess environmental performance across product types and across household types in order to evaluate environmental pressure from human activities. To so do, we combine family budget statistics, input-output tables, energy and material flow matrices, various types of emissions and environmental effects indices for various effect types (e.g. a global warming potential index, an ozone depletion potential index, etc). Subsequently, using DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis), we use these weighted environmental effects indices to form one environ-mental performance score for each family type and product type. We find that the environmental performance of each family type changes considerably across environmental effect types. The analysis of the overall environmental performance scores shows that families living in urban flats, especially the young and elderly families, have the most environmentally friendly consum-ption pattern. Middle income families living in houses have the least environmentally friendly consumer basket, and these families constitute a high share of all families in Denmark.

AB - We assess environmental performance across product types and across household types in order to evaluate environmental pressure from human activities. To so do, we combine family budget statistics, input-output tables, energy and material flow matrices, various types of emissions and environmental effects indices for various effect types (e.g. a global warming potential index, an ozone depletion potential index, etc). Subsequently, using DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis), we use these weighted environmental effects indices to form one environ-mental performance score for each family type and product type. We find that the environmental performance of each family type changes considerably across environmental effect types. The analysis of the overall environmental performance scores shows that families living in urban flats, especially the young and elderly families, have the most environmentally friendly consum-ption pattern. Middle income families living in houses have the least environmentally friendly consumer basket, and these families constitute a high share of all families in Denmark.

KW - Former LIFE faculty

KW - Environmental performane

KW - Product ranking

KW - Sustainable household consumption

KW - DEA analysis

KW - Integrated modelling

U2 - 10.1080/09535310500284276

DO - 10.1080/09535310500284276

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0953-5314

VL - 17

SP - 425

EP - 447

JO - Economic Systems Research

JF - Economic Systems Research

IS - 4

ER -