Sustainability Assessment Methodology for Appropriate Technology Based Products in Developing Regions

Assessing the sustainability of products is particularly difficult in underdeveloped or remote regions.  Products based on the principles of appropriate technology are intended to be beneficial to developing communities.  A widely accepted methodology capable of assessing societal, economic and environmental impacts of products at a regional level is currently unavailable.  This contribution demonstrates a novel approach for assessing the sustainability of appropriate technology based products in developing regions.  This proposed methodology introduces a system for quantifying the impact of products based on a series of rubrics to assess regionally appropriate indicators. The magnitudes of the impact variables are evaluated utilizing an absolute scale. Current sustainability assessments utilized in industrialized regions are not applicable in underdeveloped or remote regions. This is particularly true when trying to assess the societal impacts of products in underdeveloped regions.  The novel methodology proposed is capable of assessing the impacts of sustainable products in developing communities.