One of the priorities of the modern economy is the optimal use of natural resources in economic activity. This is because the organization and management of production have an impact on the environment, which in turn affects both the well-being of society and economic development. Therefore, the methodology and practice of public non-financial reporting is actively developing to reflect indicators related to the conservation and evaluation of natural resources, pollution control, waste management and recycling, and the creation of emission standards. Environmental indicators are an important tool for making sound management decisions aimed at harmonizing the economy and the environment. At present, despite the large number of methodical developments, there is no solid theoretical basis for the formation of environmental indicators that adequately characterize the interaction of business and the environment and are in demand at all levels of economic decision-making. The article clarifies the content, classification, system of indicators, methods of assessing environmental costs for use in management activities for deeper analysis, modelling and forecasting of economic phenomena and processes within the framework of the concept of sustainable development. The authors studied and classified approaches to the value assessment of man-made harm to nature, determined by the disproportionateness of natural and value indicators; lack of non-market goods, great uncertainty about the true value; consequences of man-made impacts and long-term investment in environmental protection. Modern approaches to modeling and interpretation of results are summarized, as well as opportunities to develop new (improve the existing) models for optimizing environmental costs. The authors identified the areas of environmental performance analysis in the existing management systems, in particular through the study of non-financial reporting, which is the basis for calculating resource utilization, environmental quality and sustainability.