As sustainability is a philosophical concept, the evaluation of sustainability of an agri-system is underpinned by a philosophical understanding. Deconstruction is the qualitative methodology derived from philosophical science that allows to show what is hidden, to reveal the implicit meaning of a sustainability assessment tool. •Qualitative methodology of analysis.•Applicable to all kind of qualitative analysis.•Suitable for review article.
Keywords: Agriculture sustainability; Deconstruction; Sustainability assessment tools; Sustainability indicators.