Evaluating Green Economy Strategies Through Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis: A Systematic Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31181/ijes1412025245Keywords:
Sustainable development, Green economy, Multi-criteria decision analysis, MCDM, Bibliometric review, Hybrid decision modelsAbstract
Green economy transition needs efficient metrics to evaluate the trade-off between environmental, economic, and social objectives. This paper review articles on Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) in green economy strategies published between 2010 and 2025 based on the Dimensions.ai database. After following a designed PRISMA method, 1626 articles were filtered and examined through bibliometric mapping and qualitative analysis. The findings demonstrate that Journal of Cleaner Production, Sustainability, and Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews are the most fruitful journals and China and Europe are the countries that present most of the research. AHP, TOPSIS, and hybrid approaches are some of the common MCDA methods which have been used in renewable energy planning, waste management, sustainable transport, supply chain optimization, and policy evaluation. The results suggest that MCDA assists in making the decisions more transparent, participatory, and evidence-based. Nevertheless, there are still difficulties, such as subjective approaches, unreliable information, and insufficient research of the world. All in all, this paper demonstrates the value of MCDA in aiding the green economy approach and suggests more comprehensive, technology-based approaches to procedure in the future
Downloads
References
Hariram, N. P., Mekha, K. B., Suganthan, V., & Sudhakar, K. (2023). Sustainalism: An integrated socio-economic-environmental model to address sustainable development and sustainability. Sustainability, 15(13), 10682. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310682
Hauschild, M. Z., McKone, T. E., Arnbjerg-Nielsen, K., Hald, T., Nielsen, B. F., Mabit, S. E., & Fantke, P. (2022). Risk and sustainability: Trade-offs and synergies for robust decision making. Environmental Sciences Europe, 34(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-021-00587-8
Manisha, K., & Singh, I. (2025). Investigating green economy studies using a bibliometric analysis. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 16(2), 10021–10053. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-024-02237-9
Kaur, A., & Negi, P. S. (2025). A systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis on inclusive green finance with an emphasis on the digital economy and green growth. Journal of Money and Business. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMB-09-2024-0053
Tran, A. V., & Khoa, B. T. (2025). Global research trends in circular economy: A bibliometric analysis in E‐commerce. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2025(1), 8645845. https://doi.org/10.1155/hbe2/8645845
Fauzi, M. A., Han, H., Loureiro, S. M. C., Ariza-Montes, A., & Wider, W. (2025). Bibliometric analysis on green hotels: Past, present and future trends. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 8(1), 241–262. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-01-2024-0121
Apriantoro, M. S., Widyastuti, H., El Ashfahany, A., & Murtadla, A. A. (2024). Sustainability and green economy in developmental paradigms: A bibliometric analysis of scholarly trends and transformations. Indonesian Interdisciplinary Journal of Sharia Economics, 7(2), 4587–4610. https://doi.org/10.31538/iijse.v7i2.4786
Dar, B. I., Badwan, N., & Kumar, J. (2024). Investigating the role of Fintech innovations and green finance toward sustainable economic development: A bibliometric analysis. International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, 17(6), 1175–1195. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMEFM-01-2024-0018
Krastev, B., & Krasteva-Hristova, R. (2024). Challenges and trends in green finance in the context of sustainable development—A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 17(7), 301. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm17070301
Muhmad, S. N., Cheema, S., Mohamad Ariff, A., Nik Him, N. F., & Muhmad, S. N. (2024). Systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis of green finance and renewable energy development. Sustainable Development, 32(6), 7342–7355. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.3093
Puspita, A. T. (2023). Text analytics on green economy using Bibliometrix. Economics and Sustainability, 1(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.58968/es.v1i1.415
Zhu, J. J., Zhang, R., Kanhalikham, K., Liu, Z., & Shen, X. (2023). Green economy studies amongst the global climate change challenge between 2016 and 2022: A bibliometric review. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11, 1168437. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1168437
Mentel, G., Lewandowska, A., Berniak-Woźny, J., & Tarczyński, W. (2023). Green and renewable energy innovations: A comprehensive bibliometric analysis. Energies, 16(3), 1428. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16031428
Ali, H., ul Abideen, Z., & Jafar, A. (2024). Mapping the evolution of green finance research and development in emerging green economies. Resources Policy, 91, 104943. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2024.104943
Wang Chen, H. M., Chou, S. Y., Luu, Q. D., & Yu, T. H. K. (2016). A fuzzy MCDM approach for green supplier selection from the economic and environmental aspects. Mathematical Problems in Engineering, 2016(1), 8097386. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/8097386
Si, J., Marjanovic-Halburd, L., Nasiri, F., & Bell, S. (2016). Assessment of building-integrated green technologies: A review and case study on applications of Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method. Sustainable Cities and Society, 27, 106–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2016.06.013
Khoshnava, S. M., Rostami, R., Zin, R. M., Štreimikienė, D., Yousefpour, A., Strielkowski, W., & Mardani, A. (2019). Aligning the criteria of green economy (GE) and sustainable development goals (SDGs) to implement sustainable development. Sustainability, 11(17), 4615. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11174615
Khoshnava, S. M., Rostami, R., Zin, R. M., Štreimikiene, D., Yousefpour, A., Mardani, A., & Alrasheedi, M. (2020). Contribution of green infrastructure to the implementation of green economy in the context of sustainable development. Sustainable Development, 28(1), 320–342. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2017
Pham, H. T., Dao, A. P. V., & Vu, L. H. (2023). An assessment of sustainable development using Delphi technique and multicriteria decision-making method: A case study of Hai Phong City. In International conference on “global changes and sustainable development in Asian emerging market economies (pp. 519–536). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-68842-3_30
Rampasso, I. S., Quelhas, O. L., Anholon, R., Silva, D. A., Pontes, A. T., Miranda, J. D., & Dias, J. O. (2021). The bioeconomy in emerging economies: A study of the critical success factors based on Life Cycle Assessment and Delphi and Fuzzy-Delphi methods. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 26(6), 1254–1266. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-021-01913-1
Stević, Ž., Karamaşa, Ç., Demir, E., & Korucuk, S. (2025). Assessing sustainable production under circular economy context using a novel rough-fuzzy MCDM model: A case of the forestry industry in the Eastern Black Sea region. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 38(1), 261–291. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-10-2020-0419
Karbassi Yazdi, A., Tan, Y., Birau, R., Frank, D., & Pamučar, D. (2025). Sustainable solutions: Using MCDM to choose the best location for green energy projects. International Journal of Energy Sector Management, 19(1), 146–180. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJESM-01-2024-0005
Tighnavard Balasbaneh, A., Aldrovandi, S., & Sher, W. (2025). A systematic review of implementing Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) approaches for the circular economy and cost assessment. Sustainability, 17(11), 5007. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17115007
Fedajev, A. (2025). Assessing sustainable competitiveness of Balkan economies using the entropy-based PROMETHEE method. In Building economic resilience: Strategies for sustainable growth and competitiveness (pp. 73–92). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-96428-2_4
Fang, J. (2025). LogTODIM–VIKOR framework for fuzzy multiple-attribute group decision-making and applications to urban green economy development competitiveness evaluation. International Journal of Fuzzy Systems. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40815-025-02010-3
Sun, X. (2021). Green city and regional environmental economic evaluation based on entropy method and GIS. Environmental Technology & Innovation, 23, 101667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eti.2021.101667
Wang, M., Zhao, X., Gong, Q., & Ji, Z. (2019). Measurement of regional green economy sustainable development ability based on entropy weight-topsis-coupling coordination degree—A case study in Shandong Province, China. Sustainability, 11(1), 280. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11010280
Eşiyok, S., Ariş, E., & Antmen, F. (2023). Ranking and evaluation of G7 countries and Turkey by gggi indicators using ENTROPY, CRITIC and EDAS methods. Çukurova Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi Dergisi, 38(3), 647–660. https://doi.org/10.21605/cukurovaumfd.1377228
Rađenović, Ž. J., & Rajić, M. N. (2024). Assessing circular economy performances of selected countries using MCDM methods: Promethee vs. CoCoSo. In Navigating the circular age of a sustainable digital revolution (pp. 59–90). IGI Global.
Amiruddin, M. Z. B., Samsudin, A., Suhandi, A., Coştu, B., & Prahani, B. K. (2025). Scientific mapping and trend of conceptual change: A bibliometric analysis. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 11, 101208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.101208
Sahoo, S. K., Choudhury, B. B., Dhal, P. R., & Hanspal, M. S. (2025). A comprehensive review of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) toward sustainable renewable energy development. Spectrum of Operational Research, 2(1), 268–284. https://doi.org/10.31181/sor21202527
Kumar, R., & Sahoo, S. K. (2025). A bibliometric analysis of agro-based industries: Trends and challenges in supply chain management. Decision Making Advances, 3(1), 200–215. https://doi.org/10.31181/dma31202568
Hassan, W., & Duarte, A. E. (2024). Bibliometric analysis: A few suggestions. Current Problems in Cardiology, 49(8), 102640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2024.102640
Merli, R., Preziosi, M., & Acampora, A. (2018). How do scholars approach the circular economy? A systematic literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 178, 703–722. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.12.112
Kamble, S. S., Gunasekaran, A., & Gawankar, S. A. (2020). Achieving sustainable performance in a data-driven agriculture supply chain: A review for research and applications. International Journal of Production Economics, 219, 179–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2019.05.022
Lee, H. C., & Chang, C. T. (2018). Comparative analysis of MCDM methods for ranking renewable energy sources in Taiwan. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 92, 883–896. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2018.05.007
Pan, S. Y., Gao, M., Kim, H., Shah, K. J., Pei, S. L., & Chiang, P. C. (2018). Advances and challenges in sustainable tourism toward a green economy. Science of the Total Environment, 635, 452–469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.134
Nizami, A. S., Rehan, M., Waqas, M., Naqvi, M., Ouda, O. K., Shahzad, K., & Pant, D. (2017). Waste biorefineries: Enabling circular economies in developing countries. Bioresource Technology, 241, 1101–1117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2017.05.097
Moktadir, M. A., Rahman, T., Rahman, M. H., Ali, S. M., & Paul, S. K. (2018). Drivers to sustainable manufacturing practices and circular economy: A perspective of leather industries in Bangladesh. Journal of Cleaner Production, 174, 1366–1380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.11.063
Song, M., Fisher, R., & Kwoh, Y. (2019). Technological challenges of green innovation and sustainable resource management with large scale data. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 144, 361–368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.07.055
Chen, P. (2021). Effects of the entropy weight on TOPSIS. Expert Systems with Applications, 168, 114186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2020.114186
Olabi, A. G., Obaideen, K., Elsaid, K., Wilberforce, T., Sayed, E. T., Maghrabie, H. M., & Abdelkareem, M. A. (2022). Assessment of the pre-combustion carbon capture contribution into sustainable development goals SDGs using novel indicators. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 153, 111710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2021.111710
Gupta, H., Kumar, A., & Wasan, P. (2021). Industry 4.0, cleaner production and circular economy: An integrative framework for evaluating ethical and sustainable business performance of manufacturing organizations. Journal of Cleaner Production, 295, 126253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126253
Colapinto, C., Jayaraman, R., Ben Abdelaziz, F., & La Torre, D. (2020). Environmental sustainability and multifaceted development: Multi-criteria decision models with applications. Annals of Operations Research, 293(2), 405–432. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-019-03403-y
Chaube, S., Pant, S., Kumar, A., Uniyal, S., Singh, M. K., Kotecha, K., & Kumar, A. (2024). An overview of multi-criteria decision analysis and the applications of AHP and TOPSIS methods. International Journal of Mathematical, Engineering and Management Sciences, 9(3), 581–605. https://doi.org/10.33889/IJMEMS.2024.9.3.030
Štilić, A., & Puška, A. (2023). Integrating multi-criteria decision-making methods with sustainable engineering: A comprehensive review of current practices. Eng, 4(2), 1536–1549. https://doi.org/10.3390/eng4020088
Schramm, V. B., Cabral, L. P. B., & Schramm, F. (2020). Approaches for supporting sustainable supplier selection-A literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 273, 123089. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123089
Ayub, Y., Moktadir, M. A., & Ren, J. (2024). Sustainable waste valorization process selection through AHP and advanced Interval Valued Fermatean Fuzzy with integrated CODAS. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 185, 408–422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2024.03.019
Imamguluyev, R., Abbasov, I., Sadigov, R., Imanova, T., Sharifli, I., Bagirov, G., & Musayev, J. (2024). Smart decision-making in the green economy: A fuzzy logic approach. In International conference on computing and machine learning (pp. 153–164). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-7571-2_13
Anagnostos, D., Schmidt, T., Cavadias, S., Soudris, D., Poortmans, J., & Catthoor, F. (2019). A method for detailed, short-term energy yield forecasting of photovoltaic installations. Renewable Energy, 130, 122–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2018.06.058
Wu, X., Zhao, W., Li, H., Liu, B., Zhang, Z., & Wang, X. (2021). Multi-stage stochastic programming based offering strategy for hydrogen fueling station in joint energy, reserve markets. Renewable Energy, 180, 605–615. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.08.076
Taylan, O., Alamoudi, R., Kabli, M., AlJifri, A., Ramzi, F., & Herrera-Viedma, E. (2020). Assessment of energy systems using extended fuzzy AHP, fuzzy VIKOR, and TOPSIS approaches to manage non-cooperative opinions. Sustainability, 12(7), 2745. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12072745
Depczyński, R. (2024). Assessing raw material efficiency and waste management for sustainable development: A VIKOR and TOPSIS multi-criteria decision analysis. Production Engineering Archives, 30(2), 198–213. https://doi.org/10.30657/pea.2024.30.50
Igodo, A., Shamsuzzoha, A., Ndzibah, E., & Shamsuzzaman, M. (2023). Optimal maintenance for a waste-to-energy plant using DEMATEL: A case study. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 25(7), 2305–2333. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-023-02506-2
Wang, M., Sweetapple, C., Fu, G., Farmani, R., & Butler, D. (2017). A framework to support decision making in the selection of sustainable drainage system design alternatives. Journal of Environmental Management, 201, 145–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.06.034
Ziemba, P. (2021). Selection of electric vehicles for the needs of sustainable transport under conditions of uncertainty—A comparative study on fuzzy MCDA methods. Energies, 14(22), 7786. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14227786
Zhang, Y., Gu, L., & Guo, X. (2020). Carbon audit evaluation system and its application in the iron and steel enterprises in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 248, 119204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119204
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Sushil Kumar Sahoo, Shankha Shubhra Goswami, Darko Božanić, Soupayan Mitra (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.


All site content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under the