Social indicators

Due to the sheer number of potential social aspects for analysis, the definitive task of selecting the aspects and indicators to be studied in depth is of pivotal importance. The key social aspects generally originate in three areas: hotspots in the upstream chain and the end-of-life management (e.g. wages below the minimum subsistence income, or child labour); repercussions of product use (e.g. computer games), and indirect repercussions on society (e.g. mobile phone use). In contrast to LCA, as yet and for the foreseeable future there is no universally accepted list of social indicators.

PROSA provides a provisional  list of social indicators, arranged according to stakeholder groups (cf. Figure 14). The list was extracted in a multi-stage process from several dozen lists of indicators running to over 3,000 proposed social indicators. In any event, it includes the indicators contained in the most important laws or codes on the theme (ILO standards, OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, Global Reporting Initiative, SA 8000, Stiftung Warentest core criteria, etc.).

The indicators proposed by PROSA can be augmented and/or replaced to meet context- and product-specific needs. It is recommended that the number of indicators to be studied should be kept within reasonable limits (five to ten indicators). The choice of indicators may be informed by the results of other PROSA studies (megatrend analyses, consumer research).