GoodGuide’s staff of 25—including chemists, toxicologists, nutritionists, sociologists, lifecycle-assessment experts, computer scientists, and business and marketing experts—have rated more than 120,000 food, personal-care, and household-chemical products, as well as toys, appliances, automobiles, and electronic devices.
The ratings combine product- and company-level evaluations to tell a consumer whether there are hazardous chemicals in a product, whether it was tested on animals, whether the company has been fined by the EPA for pollution violations, whether the company donates more to Democrats or Republicans, etc.
Over the past few years, GoodGuide has provided essential information to help millions of Americans align their purchasing with their values and environmental and health concerns.
GoodGuide provides iPhone and Android apps that allow consumers to scan barcodes with their cell phones and instantly receive product ratings while standing in a store. GoodGuide also recently launched a “Transparency Toolbar” that lets people shop on Amazon.com, Drugstore.com, Walmart.com, etc. and see ratings filtered through their personal preferences right on those companies’ Web sites.
GoodGuide’s newest tool—the “Shopping Advisor”—moves beyond providing product information at point of sale in order to stress this last factor: impact. The Analyzer shows people the effects of their past product choices and suggests steps to change their consumption habits over time.
We have also learned that personal-health issues are by far the most compelling for American consumers. Concerns about toxins in household products, contaminants in food, lead in toys, etc. increase with each scandal reported in the press. And, as mentioned, personal-health concerns can be a first step toward thinking about broader community and ecological issues. Providing information about health effects is therefore critical to developing ethical consumption.