I’ve recently been working on a project which involved me finding individuals who would be willing to move their savings from Barclays or HSBC, because of those bank’s records in investing in fossil fuels.
Through speaking to friends and followers, I was struck by how many people did not realise what their bank was up to. Some were a bit shocked, others rather less surprised, and most expressed disappointment.
For many, it was a case of ‘well, aren’t they all at it?’. While this cynicism is understandable, it is misplaced. There are in the end, lots of more ethical banks out there, such as Triodos or Sunrise. There are well-known names such as Nationwide and the Co-op which are better options too.
The idea that all ‘big brands’ and corporations are ‘all as bad as each other’ allows the worst offenders to get away with limited scrutiny. It also offers us a comfort blanket to continue to use brands we know are unethical, due to the convenience of it.
It was also commonplace to hear, “but where else should I bank?”. At the end of the day, I could see that these people wanted to be ethical consumers but they just didn’t know where to go.
And this brings me to the biggest hurdle faced by ethical consumers — just how bamboozingly the corporate world is. I had considered myself a fairly clued up ethical consumer but beyond Amazon, Shell and some lingering horrors stories about Nestle…I don’t really know who is up to what. Give me a household brand, and I won’t be able to tell you the major conglomerate that owns them, let alone what that conglomerate does to destroy the world.
And I am fed up.
We have apps for pretty much anything. So why isn’t there an app that can tell me which clothing brands have linked to Uighur slave labour, which electronic firms avoid tax, or which household food brands use child-Labour? Et cetera, Et cetera.
I want an app that can gather data (like an aggregated website) from a whole host of respected NGOs, across human rights monitoring, tax avoidance monitoring and environmental campaign groups — and then put into an easy, one app fits all location which will tell me how to consume more ethically.
Sign-in, search a brand, and it can tell you in simple language*: Red, avoid because… Amber, possibly linked to…Green, broadly ethical. Green Star, these companies go the extra mile by…. *With a link to read more in-depth if you’d like.
For a start, I want the app to tell me what the most profound things are that I can do to consume more ethically. After all, divesting your pension is probably going to be more powerful than buying a second-hand apron.
I want the app to give me perspective and let me make limited, but powerful choices — without being overwhelmed. If ‘they’re all at it’, then tell which brands ones are worst and should be cut out of my life.
This might seem like a rant but it’s not. It is a call out to all tech-genius whizz kids who want to do something about this.
Can we build this app?
