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.