Imagine scanning the barcode of a product you were thinking about buying with your internet-enabled phone and immediately finding out how that product could impact your health and how socially and environmentally responsible its manufacturing company is.
This technology already exists.
Currently in its beta version, the GoodGuide is a customer-oriented, product-focused rating system (also available as an iPhone app) that incorporates user reviews. The GoodGuide provides ratings for over 65,000 food, toy, personal care, and household products, and users can save a list of their favorites.
According to their website,
“GoodGuide is in business to provide authoritative information about the health, environmental and social performance of products and companies. Our mission is to help consumers make purchasing decisions that reflect their preferences and values. We believe that better information can transform the marketplace: as more consumers buy better products, retailers and manufacturers face compelling incentives to make products that are safe, environmentally sustainable and produced using ethical sourcing of raw materials and labor.”
But where does the GoodGuide get its information?
Its website claims that the GoodGuide crew gathers data from over 1,000 sources, including scientific institutions, governmental agencies, socially responsible investment rating agencies, non-governmental organizations, the media and companies that manufacture the products rated. You can find the specific sources used for each product rating by clicking on ‘full rating details’.
Here’s how it Works:
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