Environmental Indicators as Part of the Management Framework: A Practical Perspective from a Private Laboratory in Ukraine

Viacheslav Yakovlev

Citation: Viacheslav Yakovlev, "Environmental Indicators as Part of the Management Framework: A Practical Perspective from a Private Laboratory in Ukraine", Universal Library of Business and Economics, Volume 02, Issue 02.

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Environmental factors are increasingly influencing business decisions even in the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector. Noise, air and water quality, indoor microclimate, complaints from employees and residents, risks of inspections, and litigation all transform environmental parameters from a “background” issue into a manageable area of responsibility. At the same time, many companies still perceive environmental measurements as a one-time response to a crisis rather than as an element of a regular management framework. This article examines a practical approach to integrating environmental indicators into a company’s management system, using the example of a family-run laboratory in Ukraine that has been providing environmental measurement services for more than eight years and serves at least 60 clients per month. The paper analyzes key types of environmental indicators relevant to small and medium-sized businesses, discusses principles for their selection, methods for incorporating them into management reporting, and simple models for assessing the return on investment of environmental decisions. It demonstrates how even a basic set of metrics—such as noise levels, air and water quality indicators, and the frequency of complaints and inspections—can serve as a foundation for risk reduction, cost optimization, and strengthening a company’s competitive position.


Keywords: Environmental Indicators; Ukraine; Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises; Environmental Monitoring; Risk Management; Indoor Microclimate; Noise; Air Quality; Water Quality; Return on Investment.

Download doi https://doi.org/10.70315/uloap.ulbec.2025.0202015