Quantitative Indicators for Assessing the Sustainability Impacts of Frugal Innovations

Abstract

Frugal and social innovations are considered more likely to support sustainability than conventional innovations. However, indicators for assessing their sustainability impacts remain scarce. Although the need for such indicators, especially for frugal innovation, has been emphasized repeatedly, only a few studies address this issue, and even fewer propose quantitative measures. As a result, systematic assessment and comparison of sustainability impacts remain limited. This paper addresses this gap by analyzing existing qualitative indicators and developing corresponding quantitative ones. A systematic literature review combined with qualitative content analysis was conducted to update a previous review that identified 47 qualitative indicators. This update added 11 additional indicators, resulting in 58 qualitative indicators. These were translated into 54 quantitative indicators supported by 82 measurement instruments. The resulting framework enables more robust and comparable assessments of frugal innovation's contributions to sustainability. Furthermore, many indicators, especially those addressing social and interconnected aspects, are also applicable to social innovation. This study contributes to the literature by offering a comprehensive and operational set of indicators that can support both academic evaluation and practical implementation in assessing the social, economic, and ecological value of frugal and social innovation.