Sustainability indicators
If we aim to systematically pursue sustainable development, it is imperative to take regular snapshots of how far we are towards reaching our goal, the progress we have made, and where a need for action still exists. This requires an appropriate set of metrics.
For this reason, the Federal Council requires the periodic production of sustainability indicators for the purpose of checking and implementing the constitutional sustainable development mandate.
Indicator systems should:
- Initiate debate between stakeholders in society about the goals of sustainable development;
- Measure the current status of sustainability, indicate trends over time and identify areas for action;
- Inform the public and political decision-makers about the status of sustainable development and thus enable potential problem areas to be identified at an early stage;
- Enable comparisons (benchmarking) and, as a result of the ensuing competition, motivate people to step up their efforts to achieve the goals.
Cercle Indicateurs: Indicateurs de développement durable pour les cantons et les villes
La fonction principale des indicateurs centraux est d'évaluer l'état actuel du développement durable et son évolution au cours du temps, au niveau de la stratégie politique.
The MONET indicator system
The MONET 2030 indicator system gives an overview of sustainable development in Switzerland, providing a picture of the progress made towards the 17 sustainable development goals (SDG) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda as well in relation to certain topics specific to Switzerland. Comprising over 100 indicators relating to the three environmental, social and economic dimensions, the system is structured around the 17 SDGs.