Sustainable development indicators: how are they used in Swedish water utilities?

Since the late 1990s, increased attention has been given to the role of organizations in implementing sustainable development, where sustainable development indicators (SDIs) are frequently recommended as useful tools. Due to limited knowledge on the application of SDIs in Swedish water utilities, a series of field studies were carried out in order to find out whether and how SDIs are applied. Concurrently, a literature survey was performed concerning the current use of SDIs in organizations in general. Both studies show that SDIs are frequently used in reporting, but not in planning and decision making, and hence may not contribute substantially to sustainable development.