An Integrated Framework for ESG Assessment and Action Planning in Eco-Industrial Parks

Eco-Industrial Parks (EIPs) are increasingly regarded as important instruments for promoting more sustainable forms of industrial development. Their performance, however, cannot be understood only in terms of environmental efficiency, since it also depends on social conditions, governance arrangements, shared infrastructures, and the quality of coordination among multiple actors. This makes the assessment of EIPs particularly challenging and highlights the need for approaches capable of integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) dimensions within a single analytical framework. This paper proposes a two-phase methodological framework for assessing and improving ESG performance in EIPs. The first phase is diagnostic and measures deviations between observed perfor-mance and predefined targets derived from regulations, institutional benchmarks, and best practices. The second phase is prescriptive and uses Goal Programming to identify the most effective improvement strategies under economic, technical, and organizational constraints. In this way, the framework links sustainability assessment with the definition of intervention priorities and the selection of fea-sible actions. The main contribution of the paper lies in adapting ESG logic to the territorial and multi-actor nature of eco-industrial parks, while also connect-ing performance evaluation with decision support. The framework is presented as a methodological proposal that may support more operational and integrated forms of sustainability governance in industrial areas, although its usefulness still requires empirical testing in different EIP contexts.