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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a substantial role in the economy and job creation, but they are a remarkable source of environmental impacts. SMEs often lack skills and resources to...

Companies have a central role in the transition towards more sustainable economic systems, as they are one of the major sources of environmental impacts, economic activity and social development. Various tools are available to support sustainability assessments, but there is little information on how suitable they are for company-level assessments and how companies use them in real-life applications. The article examines some of the commonly used tools and the utilisation of these tools in Finnish companies. A sample of seven tools was compiled: multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), material flow analysis, life cycle assessment (LCA), input–output models, sustainability indicators and indices, cost–benefit analysis (CBA) and optimisation methods. MCDA, LCA, CBA and optimisation methods were found to be successful with respect to many of the criteria used in the evaluation, but none of them was comprehensive. The assessment indicates that MCDA has the greatest potential to be successfully applie...

Multi-objective forest planning is a multi-methodological endeavor whose success largely depends on how well the combined use of different methods contributes to the goals of the planning. This review assessed the benefits of mixing methods in natural resources planning. A sample of 30 peer-reviewed research articles was analyzed using an evaluation framework, designed based on democracy and planning theories, and participatory planning literature, including four dimensions: transparency, flexibility, consensus building, and operability. According to analyses, mixing different types (i.e. qualitative and quantitative) of methods generally yields greater benefits than the combination of similar methods. The subsample of 12 planning cases that utilized simulation-optimization software (SOS) appeared operable and moderately transparent, whereas flexibility and consensus building were often lacking. In comparison to the wide scholarly discussion on multi-methodology and mixing methods, it was observed that su...