Performance Metrics

Characterization helps to evaluate how effective waste services are to fulfill waste responsibilities. This is crucial for organizations seeking to measure and improve their waste stewardship. By offering a structured approach to performance assessment, standard metrics not only aid organizations in identifying areas for improvement, but also allows for universally comparable and consistent results.

Material Metrics

The material taxonomy allows to assess offsetting performance based on how similar are the involved materials. Since different materials pose varying management challenges, higher material similarity is desirable. Higher rank materials imply better sorting or more detailed characterization. Conversely, lower-rank materials are usually indicators of low sorting quality or broad characterization. Material precision aids in quantifying how similar these materials are being compared.

Material precision is a quantifiable measure of the degree of similarity between materials.

Formula. The material precision of a group of materials can be determined by the rank of their closest common ancestor in the taxonomy.

$$MP_{i \to n} = \text{Rank}(\text{CCA}_{i \to n})$$

• Closest Common Ancestor (CCA). The lowest-ranked taxonomy node from which all compared materials stem from.
• Taxonomic Rank. The level at which a material resides in the taxonomic tree. Higher levels indicate greater specificity, while lower levels denote more general categories.

Metrics & Indicators. Beyond a single numeric value, material precision can be visualized through distribution charts, offering a richer, more nuanced view of material similarity across different offsets. This is particularly useful for:

• Average Material Precision. This metric calculates the weighted average of the material precisions for all materials, taking into account their respective weights in the overall assessment.
• Material Precision Distribution. This is represented by a distribution chart, which illustrates the spread of material precision values across the total weight of the materials being offset. This visualization helps in understanding the overall similarity of materials within the group.

Product Metrics

The product taxonomy allows to assess offsetting performance based on how similar are the involved products. Since different products pose varying management challenges, higher product similarity is desirable. Higher rank products imply better classification or more detailed characterization. Conversely, lower-rank products are usually indicators of low classification quality or broad characterization. Product precision aids in quantifying how similar these products are being compared.

Product precision is a quantifiable measure of the degree of similarity between products.

Formula. The product precision of a group of P can be determined by the rank of their closest common ancestor in the taxonomy.

$$PP_{i \to n} = \text{Rank}(\text{CCA}_{i \to n})$$

• Closest Common Ancestor (CCA). The lowest-ranked taxonomy node from which all compared products stem from.
• Taxonomic Rank. The level at which a product resides in the taxonomic tree. Higher levels indicate greater specificity, while lower levels denote more general categories.

Metrics & Indicators. Beyond a single numeric value, product precision can be visualized through distribution charts, offering a richer, more nuanced view of product similarity across different offsets. This is particularly useful for:

• Average Product Precision. This metric calculates the weighted average of the product precisions for all events, taking into account their respective weights in the overall assessment.
• Product Precision Distribution. This is represented by a distribution chart, which illustrates the spread of product precision values across the total weight of the materials being offset. This visualization helps in understanding the overall similarity of materials within the group.

Complexity Metrics

Complexity metrics are designed to compare the efforts required to sort materials from complex streams with the efforts involved in waste management services used to fulfill such responsibilities.

Complexity balance is a quantifiable measure of the difference between required and effective separation efforts.

Formula. The complexity balance of an offset is determined by subtracting the required complexity from the effective complexity.

$$CB_{A,B} = \text{C}_{A} - \text{C}_{B}$$

• Complexity Indexes (CI). These are the complexity indexes for the responsibility (B) and fulfillment (B) events, measured using the same methodology. It's important to note that CIs derived from different methodologies cannot be directly compared or subtracted.

Metrics & Indicators. While complexity balances can be calculated as a single numeric value, they can also be represented in distribution charts to provide more information to interpret when analyzing a waste profile.

• Net Complexity Balance. The sum of all individual balances values across all offsetting events, each multiplied by its corresponding weight.
• Average Complexity Balance. The weighted average of all complexity balances, with each value weighted by its compensated weight.
• Complexity Balance Distribution. A distribution chart that provides a visual representation of the total complexity balance values, highlighting the distribution of complexity balances.

Interpretation. Complexity balance allows for an assessment of the relative efforts required for material separation at different stages of waste management. A higher balance indicates that the waste management service involved more efforts to separate material components compared to the materials being offset. Positive balance values imply greater complexity at the fulfillment service, rewarding efforts in waste termination and capture. Conversely, a negative balance suggests less complexity at the fulfillment service, encouraging design efforts to reduce complexity of the generated or leaked waste.

Termination Metrics

Definition. Termination metrics measure the efficacy of recovery of implemented waste management strategies. These metrics are specifically designed for analyzing termination events and their effectiveness in terms of recovery.

Termination metrics are quantifiable measures of the resource efficiency of waste management strategies.

Formula. The total termination for a set of termination events is calculated based on the total weight of the terminated materials involved. The formula for each termination tag (X) is:

$$\text{Termination Total}_{X} = \text{Sum}(\text{X}_{i})$$

• Termination Total. Represents the total weight of materials terminated by the standard X.
• Weight. The total material weight of each termination event, applicable to standard X.

Metrics & Indicators. While standard totals can be calculated for each standard, they can also be compared in distribution charts, providing more information to interpret when analyzing a compensation profile.

• Termination Total. The cumulative material weight of all termination events from one standard.
• Termination Distribution. A distribution chart that visualizes the total material weights terminated by each standard, ordered by resource efficiency.

Interpretation. Standard totals allow for the assessment and comparison of termination events based on their efficiency in recovery. Understanding these metrics helps organizations prioritize and implement more effective waste termination strategies, aligning with sustainability goals and efficient resource management.

Biome Metrics

The biome taxonomy allows to assess offsetting performance based on how similar are the involved biomes. Since different biomes pose varying remediation challenges, higher biome similarity is desirable. Higher rank biomes imply better classification or more detailed context analysis. Conversely, lower-rank biomes are usually indicators of low context assessment. Biome precision aids in quantifying how similar these biomes are being compared. It is an indicator for assessing the effectiveness of waste remediation strategies in terms of their impacts in different types of environments.

Biome precision is a quantifiable measure of the degree of similarity between biomes.

Formula. The biomeB precision of a group of P can be determined by the rank of their closest common ancestor in the taxonomy.

$$BP_{i \to n} = \text{Rank}(\text{CCA}_{i \to n})$$

• Closest Common Ancestor (CCA). The lowest-ranked taxonomy node from which all compared biomes stem from.
• Taxonomic Rank. The level at which a biome resides in the taxonomic tree. Higher levels indicate greater specificity, while lower levels denote more general categories.

Metrics & Indicators. Beyond a single numeric value, biome precision can be visualized through distribution charts, offering a richer, more nuanced view of product similarity across different offsets. This is particularly useful for:

• Average Biome Precision. This metric calculates the weighted average of the biome precisions for all events, taking into account their respective weights in the overall assessment.
• Biome Precision Distribution. This is represented by a distribution chart, which illustrates the spread of biome precision values across the total weight of the materials being offset. This visualization helps in understanding the overall similarity of biomes within the group.

Spatial Metrics

Spatial metrics measure the degree of similarity between the locations in which waste events happen, based on the Global Location System. These are indicators for assessing the effectiveness of waste management strategies in terms of their geographic distribution.

Spatial precision is a quantifiable measure of the geographical similarities between required and effective waste management and remediation efforts.

Formula. The spatial precision of a group of geo-tagged locations is determined by the taxonomy rank or level of their closest common location (CCL).

$$SP_{i \to n} = \text{Rank}(\text{CCA}_{i \to n})$$

• Closest Common Ancestor (CCA). The lowest-ranked geo-tag from which all compared geo-tags stem from.
• Taxonomic Rank. The level at which a geo-tag resides in the GLS. Higher levels indicate greater specificity, while lower levels denote more general categories.

Metrics & Indicators. While spatial precision can be calculated as a single numeric value, it can also be represented in distribution charts, providing more information to interpret when analyzing a waste profile.

• Average Spatial Precision. This metric calculates the weighted average of the spatial precisions of all events, taking into account their respective material weights in the overall assessment.
• Spatial Precision Distribution. This is represented by a distribution chart, which illustrates the spread of spatial precision values across the total weight of the materials being offset. This visualization helps in understanding the overall similarity of locations within the group.

Interpretation. The Global Location System facilitates the comparison of events based on the proximity and specificity of the involved locations. Since different locations pose varying management challenges, higher spatial precision is more desirable than lower precision. Higher-rank locations encourage more calibrated waste efforts, enhancing spatial precision. Conversely, lower-rank locations discourage broad waste management targeting.

Temporal Metrics

Temporal metrics are indicators for assessing the timeliness of waste management and remediation strategies compared to their corresponding responsibilities.

Temporal metrics measure the degree of synchronization between waste events.

Formula. The temporal precision of an offset is determined by subtracting the timestamps of its responsibility and fulfillment events.

$$TP_{F,R} = \text{t}_{F} - \text{t}_{R}$$

• Timestamps (t). These are the unix timestamps for the responsibility (R) and fulfillment (F) events, measured in seconds.

Metrics & Indicators. While temporal precision can be calculated as a single numeric value, it can also be represented in distribution charts, providing more information to interpret when analyzing a compensation profile.

• Average Temporal Precision. The weighted average of all temporal precision values, with each value weighted by its offset material weight.
• Temporal Precision Distribution. A distribution chart that provides a visual representation of the total temporal precision values, highlighting the distribution of timeliness.

Interpretation. Temporal precision facilitates the comparison of offsetting based on the synchronization of the waste events. Since different moments in time pose varying management challenges, a temporal precision closer to zero is more desirable.

Value	Type	Description
TP = 0	Synced	Events are synchronized
TP < 0	Delayed	Fulfillment is happening later than incurrence
TP > 0	Advanced	Fulfillment is happening earlier than incurrence