Incorporating environmental costs and considerations into decision-making

Abstract

As part of its Design for the Environment (DfE) program, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Environmental Accounting and Capital Budgeting Project. This project seeks to examine and integrate environmentally related costs into managerial accounting and capital budgeting processes.

Few computer-based decision support tools that business managers use to
evaluate and manage capital investments integrate environmental information. During this research, which Research Triangle Institute (RTI) conducted in cooperation with EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, RTI evaluated software tools used to evaluate and manage capital investments. To ensure a comprehensive and useful evaluation of existing tools, RTI worked with the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA); the American Association of Cost Engineers (AACE); Environment, Health and Safety; and other professional organizations.

Based on life-cycle costing principles, RTI reviewed project management
software systems to determine the extent to which environmental information isincorporated into the system. From this information, RTI developed a resource guide to environmental costing and project management software tools. A copy of this resource guide, Incorporating Environmental Costs and Considerations into Decision-Making: Review of Available Tools and Software, (EPA742-R-95-006), 1996, is available from the US EPA or by telephone, 1-800-490-9198. (A copy/paste of the report title and number to the EPA online order form will improve speed and accuracy.)

For additional information about the project, contact Keith Weitz, RTI project manager, at (919) 541-6973 or send email to kaw@rti.org.