A support methodology for decision making of industrial facility location

In this paper the authors propose a methodology with general applicability for integrating analysis of environmental, social and economic aspects and their interactions in the decision making process of industrial facility location. With the application of this suggested methodology, environmental impacts are taken into account not only just before the industrial settlement, but also before the selection: in this way the environment is able to play a remarkable role in the choice of the final location. This methodology consists of two main stages: the first one, competitiveness assessment, provides for the characterization of land zones with the same or similar productive competitiveness. Sustainability assessment, the second stage, makes it possible to analyze the critical effects that the industrial plant under consideration can generate on each selected area with the aim of evaluating its environmental sustainability