Sustainability Matrix

Verification schemes such as CDM and Gold Standard only approve project’s that demonstrate they positively contribute to sustainable development. The non-profit group SouthSouthNorth, in conjunction with others, developed the Sustainability Matrix to help developers measure a project’s sustainability benefits.

The matrix consists of three main categories: Local/regional/global environment, social sustainability/development, and economic/technological development. Each sub-categorical component must be evaluated against the baseline scenario and scored on a scale between −2 and +2. A −2 corresponds to major negative impacts without the possibility of mitigation, -1 to minor negative impacts with the possibility of mitigation, and so on. There are no qualitative or quantitative boundaries between these scores, allowing the matrix to be applied to a wide variety of projects.