You might fancy yourself an ethical person, but do you know the whole story behind the shirt you’re wearing or the smartphone in your pocket?
Despite consumer spending accounting for roughly 70 percent of the U.S. economy, many Americans have no idea whether the brands they buy from are committed to empowering employees and protecting the environment — let alone whether they use synthetic or toxic materials that lack the quality needed to stand the test of time.
Boston startup DoneGood is on a mission to change that.
“Sometimes, the money we spend supports exploitation and poverty wages,” said Cullen Schwarz, DoneGood co-founder. “We wanted to create an easy way to know that we could feel good about what our money was supporting.”
Launched in 2016, DoneGood’s browser extension makes it easy for consumers to discover businesses on a mission to make the world better.
After installing the free Chrome extension, just shop online like you normally would — if there’s an ethical, sustainable company that sells what you’re looking for, an alert pops up in the corner of your screen.
Schwarz said DoneGood filters “ethical” companies by aggregating data from a wide variety of independent organizations that certify companies’ social impact. DoneGood also performs follow-up conversations with every business featured on the site.
DoneGood looks for companies that are eco-friendly, non-toxic, organic, GMO-free, vegan/cruelty-free and made in the U.S.A. They also look for companies that promote diversity and empower workers by providing livable wages.
The extension also shows discount codes, so you can save some money while you’re at it.
“You can know your purchase is making the world better and you don’t have to do any extra work to find it,” Schwarz said. “You’re also buying products that are usually of higher quality because they’re not mass produced; often they’re handmade and unique.”
Some of the brands promoted by DoneGood include Tuckerman & Co., Fortress of Inca and Boutique Mexico, a business that supports Mexican women artisans.
Though most of the companies featured on the site are small businesses, Schwarz said eventually he’d like DoneGood to have an impact on corporate business practices, too.
“Our long-term goal is to be able to go into a corporate company’s office and say, ‘Within the next 30 days, you need to improve your business practices in X, Y and Z ways, and if you do, we will let all these people in our community know about it,’” Schwarz said.
