AbstractMany industrial companies are trying to improve their operation's sustainability. However, these efforts towards change are usually governed by economic considerations. This serves to neglect or at least diminish the perceivable relevance of ecologic or social consequences for investigated alternatives. This paper discusses the implications of multi-criterial target systems which extend the scope of considerations beyond economics to support the realisation of proactive environmental strategies. A special focus is set on the definition of targets as well as decision-making in brown-field planning projects. The findings are applied in a simulation-based study on the parameterisation of an energy-sensitive production control strategy.