Methodology for quantifying the social sustainability index for environmental projects

Currently, there is a growing interest among professionals in recognising the concepts of sustainability in the decision-making of environmental remediation projects, a practice called sustainable remediation. The social aspect of sustainable remediation is one of the most integral parts of triple-bottom-line sustainability. Currently, there are not many methodologies available for the evaluation of social impacts for environmental remediation. The objective of this study is to present a quantitative methodology for determining the social sustainability index for environmental remediation projects. In this study, the methodology was applied to evaluate the sustainability of four potential remediation options to remediate sediments contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls and pesticides, at a site located in Iowa, USA. The remediation options included monitored natural attenuation, dredging of contaminated sediments, conventional capping and modified cap employing a reactive core mat. The results obtained allow the quantitative identification of the social sustainability index for each potential remediation option, and the best option from social considerations was identified to be a modified cap employing a reactive core mat, with a social sustainability index of 0.26, and the least preferred option was monitored natural attenuation, with a social sustainability index of 0.07.