EPPI: A comprehensive index framework for assessment of sustainability performance, and practicality of analytical methods
Samar H. Elagamy, Kanaka Parvathi Kannaiah, Hemanth Kumar Chanduluru, Noorfatimah Yahaya, Reem H. Obaydo
Abstract
• A novel dual-index framework, EPPI (Environmental, Performance, and Practicality Index), is introduced for comprehensive assessment of analytical methods. • EPPI integrates GAC, GSP, and WAC principles to fully evaluate the analytical methods regarding environmental impact, analytical performance, and practicality. • EPPI offers objective, reproducible scoring (1–100) and visual outputs. • Two sub-indices—EI (Environmental Impact) and PPI (Performance and Practicality Index)—enable clear, balanced assessment across sustainability and real-world applicability. • EPPI is available as both a manual guide and an offline software tool. Today, there is a growing demand for sustainable green analytical methods that not only ensure environmental and operator safety but also maintain analytical performance and practicality. A variety of evaluation metrics are currently available, allowing analysts to select the one most suitable for their work. In this article, we present a comprehensive framework: the Environmental, Performance, and Practicality Index (EPPI). The EPPI introduces a dual-index system: the Environmental Impact (EI) Index and the Performance and Practicality Index (PPI). Together, these novel, universal, and user-friendly indices provide a comprehensive evaluation of analytical methods by simultaneously addressing ecological sustainability, analytical performance, and applicability in the real world. The EI Index integrates the principles of Green Analytical Chemistry (GAC) and Green Sample Preparation (GSP), assessing method greenness across all steps from pre-synthesis and sample preparation to analytical measurement. The PI complements the EI Index by evaluating analytical performance (redness) and practicality (blueness). The results of EPPI are expressed both as a numerical score (1–100) and as a visual pie chart—with green representing greenness, and purple representing the combined contribution of performance (redness) and practicality (blueness). Notably, the EPPI framework is designed to minimize subjectivity by assigning predefined scores to each evaluative criterion, enabling fair comparison between different analytical methods. The EPPI metric is available as a downloadable offline application https://www.mediafire.com/file/h7ihq3bvzxhmdqy/EPPI-win32-x64.zip/file and can also be accessed as a web version at this link https://zieadshabkalieh.github.io/EI-PPI-Project . In addition, manual calculation is feasible through a clearly defined scoring guide, making the tool suitable for diverse research and professional contexts.