Using A Multi-Criteria Decision Making Approach In Conjunction With A Delphi Study To Identify Factors Influencing Pollutant Emissions

Abstract

Pollution is currently a major concern in Thailand and other countries around the world. The Thai government has made environmental degradation a priority, emphasizing the benefits of reducing pollution generated by heavy industries. To be successful, a variety of efforts and authority at all levels are required. This study adds to the existing literature on identifying factors that reduce pollution emissions in the plastic industry using a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach. Two-phase methodologies were used to identify and rank such factors from a practical standpoint. From the first phase, two rounds of the Delphi method yielded three main criteria and 12 ubcriteria. Regarding that, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to rank those factors. The findings indicated that the top three sub-criteria for According to the findings, the top three sub-criteria for reducing pollution emissions were "determination of standard improvement of pollution discharge at source clearly" (19.55%), "improvement of production efficiency" (15.32%), and "set up action plans for emergency pollution accidents from industry" (11.04%), respectively. Among the main factors, "Source reduction" has the highest rank (40.4%). Finally, this study discussed recommendations for entrepreneurs and policymakers.