Selecting suitable indicators for the design of eco-labels for the European railway sector: a case study

As the industry aims to improve the sustainability of its products and services, the European railway sector has committed to developing and introducing eco-labels. As part of ongoing design research on the development of these eco-labels, this article explores the current state of railway indicators and proposes a method for selecting suitable indicators that best fit the requirements for future railways. This method cross-matches existing indicators with the eco-label requirements for the railway sector, including (i) preliminary results, (ii) regulatory frameworks and norms, (iii) prevailing environmental impacts, (iv) number of indicators to select, (v) aggregation levels and clusters of indicators, (vi) asset types, and (vii) available tools to compute said indicators. The method is demonstrated using a case study involving a focus group of representatives from multiple European railway organizations. It supported decision-making about which indicators to select by facilitating the discussion of the commonalities of specific indicators as well as their relevance to the indicator’s objectives. The process enabled the focus group to build consensus on the selection of a focused set of suitable indicators to be used in the design of a railway eco-label, including (1) energy efficiency, (2) greenhouse gas/carbon dioxide emissions, and (3) circularity.