Measuring Industrial Sustainability Performance in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises: Analysis of Sustainability Indicators

The purpose of this paper is to empirically select and prioritize suitable sustainability indicators for measuring and managing sustainability performance in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). To achieve this objective, we applied a comprehensive methodological approach, which includes (1) conducting a systematic review to identify potential sustainability indicators in the literature, (2) designing a questionnaire based on the identified indicators, (3) pre-testing (pilot testing) of the questionnaire with selected industry experts, scholars, and researchers to further refine the indicators prior to data collection from the Italian footwear SMEs, and (4) selecting and prioritizing the final indicators using fuzzy Delphi method. The findings of the present paper show that the selected indicators emphasized measuring industrial sustainability performance related to financial benefits, costs, and market competitiveness for the economic sustainability dimension; resources for the environmental sustainability dimension; and customers, employees, and the community for the social sustainability dimension. The paper provides sustainability indicators considering the triple bottom line approach. The results of the present paper have significant academic, practical, and policy implications for measuring and managing industrial sustainability performance.