Measuring eco-efficiency in the Finnish forest industry using public data

The aim of this paper is to discuss the measurement of eco-efficiency in the Finnish forest industry from three perspectives. First, the paper introduces a way to measure eco-efficiency in the Finnish forest industry. Second, the paper evaluates the suitability of public data for calculating eco-efficiency in the Finnish forest industry. Third, the calculations of selected eco-efficiencies are presented. The main method used in this research is the Delphi panel, and eco-efficiency indicators are based on the experts' rating. The environmental and economic performance information of the three biggest Finnish forest industry companies are used here as examples. According to the experts of the Delphi panel, the economic performance of the eco-efficiency should be measured using the 'value added' indicator. In environmental performance, they preferred the environmental impact or emissions groups. Based on public data, the value added data can only be calculated at the company level, although the environmental impact and emissions groups could be presented in detail as site-level figures. Eco-efficiencies can be calculated only with selected environmental aspects and for a limited time frame. The eco-efficiency calculations show varying trends for the three companies: improvements, declines and fluctuations in eco-efficiencies. The current research raises questions regarding the usability of public data as a source of research material, suitability of the indicators suggested for decision making of the forest industry, the need for more detailed data to study the development of the eco-efficiency of the Finnish forest industry and the need to compare the eco-efficiency performance of the Finnish forest industry with that of its international counterparts. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.