The topic of ethical consumerism has never been more relevant. Fairtrade, organic, energy efficient, recycled and plastic free – we all make simple choices around these. But being individuals, our values and passions are different. What you or I find abhorrent or unethical can be absolutely acceptable to our friend or neighbour.
Then how do we go about making change, when every view is different for where or how that change needs to happen? And what are the measures by which we judge the businesses and brands themselves?
In a recent survey, 76% consumers consider online retailers and brands have “an obligation to protect, conserve and benefit the environment”. Unfortunately, this belief is in sharp contrast to reality. A UK Competition & Markets Authority report this year stated “40% of green claims made online could be misleading consumers”. Greenwashing is all around us!
I don’t know what I don’t know
We’re all guilty of feeding into unethical consumerism, whether we like it or not. By buying coffee at that shop that doesn’t support its workers (did you know five million UK workers are paid less than the real living wage?), or choosing next day delivery from a corporation that doesn’t pay a fair share (£7bn in corporation tax is avoided every year as they move profits to low-tax jurisdictions – and £7bn taken from public institutions such as the NHS). Even buying milk has an impact (the big 4 supermarkets have an average gender pay gap of 12.25% ), immoral but sadly still the norm.
While the best way to change how a business operates is to vote with your wallet, it isn’t always that easy. Cost, convenience and simply being unaware all play a part in our day-to-day purchasing decisions. And boycotting businesses might cause more harm than good if closures and redundancies are the consequence.
So how can you take simple, ethical actions that have a big impact? How can you find out how a company behaves towards your values… and make them change if they are not? Can you make activism an easy part of everyday life?
A free app personalised to your values
The good news is all this can be achieved by using the free Impact Score® app, developed by like-minded data experts and in conjunction with academics at the University of Chester. Designed to create a better, ethical and sustainable future, the app keeps it simple for the consumer and places the onus on businesses to improve, by bringing transparency to their behaviours.
By downloading the app you can:
- See how businesses behave across a series of ethical and environmental measures
- Check their overall Impact Score®, personalised to you and your values
- Make informed decisions of where to shop and who to support
- Tell them where they are doing well or need to improve
- Share scores with your friends and colleagues
The Impact Score® app is simple and free. By combining voices, every individual ethical-aware consumer can impact how businesses and other organisations run in your community.
Together we will #MakeChangeHappen.
Download the Impact Score® app from your app store today.