Green Score Tool
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
Category
Project Description
Fashionable or sustainable? With the Green Score browser extension, customers will no longer have to decide whether their online purchases are fashionable or sustainable. Because Green Score supports a sustainable purchase decision - without pointing fingers and with absolute freedom of action!
Geographical Scope
Project Region
Urban or rural issues
Physical or other transformations
EU Programme or fund
Which funds
Description of the project
Summary
Green Score is a browser extension that supports consumers in making a sustainable purchase decision by providing independent valid data directly in the clothing online store. The goal is to bring about a change in clothing consumption in the direction of sustainability, while the customer always remains capable of taking action (Agency). The aim of Green Score is to establish a new fashion: one of a cause and effect awareness and at the same time to undermine greenwashing.
Green Score saves hours of research into sustainability factors such as "ethics of brands", "material" and "dyeing methods and their health effects". These factors result in an average recommendation, which is presented in an easy-to-understand traffic light system.
It's important that the customer remains capable of acting at all times (no pointing fingers, no patronizing). I.e. even if Green Score rates the item as unsustainable = all factors/the recommendation is red, the customer can still decide:"I want it anyway!" Instead, nudging in the form of sustainability tips and prompts encourages customers to consider their personal consumption patterns and choose positive alternatives.
Unlike other applications, Green Score does not divert users away from the actual "place of action" - the online store - but the browser extension is installed once in the Google Chrome browser and then works in all* online stores (*currently Green Score already works in 39 online stores, including the most popular multi-label online stores such as Zalando, About You, ASOS etc.).
Green Score is a local application (browser extension = utility in the internet browser) i.e. cooperation with brands and stores is not necessary and can therefore provide independent and reliable information #stopgreenwashing
Green Score complies with SGD No. 12 - Responsible Consumption and received the 2020 AFA (Austrian Fashion Association) Start Grant "Societal Challenges". There are no competitors offering a product comparable to GS.
Key objectives for sustainability
Green Score meets three key objectives.
First: presenting the customer sustainability information regarding an item – right where they need it – at the point-of-sale, the online store. Unlike other data bases Green Score doesn't refer to outside the current online environment but integrates information on the product pages of online shops.
Since Green Score adapts the browser view locally the cooperation of brands is not necessary and therefore "Greenwashing" is leveraged.
Second: In terms of sustainability overconsumption plays a huge role. By providing behavioral tipps Green Score challenges to reflect if the planned purchase is really necessary. By nudging, the customers are presented with alternatives to purchasing a new item.
Third: past initiatives showed that pointing fingers and blaming customers doesn't help anyone. Instead the customer is left with feeling guilty. Right now sustainability in fashion is often a compromise. A compromise between wanting something an acting conscious. Green Scores aim is to create a behavioral change by providing data and nudging; therefore the customer is always capable of his or her actions – he/she has agency – to create a change from within, which is several times more sustainable, instead of lecturing them or talking them out of something.
This unique combination of valid product information and soft nudging towards sustainability, combined with total agency is one of a kind.
Circularity is met by also providing product information regarding the ability to recycle the desired product. Right now we, as an industry, are not able to recycle every kind of material; the customers is presented this information so he/she can decide to not buy a product because it only could be downcycled.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
Green Scores aim is to provide a tool that meets the state-of-the-art appearance by following the latest UX-standards. The use should be intuitive and easy so user enjoy using Green Score. By encouraging user participation we create a community feeling and the feeling to work towards a shared goal.
Key objectives for inclusion
We encourage user participation by installing a user advisory board where they can name desired functionality to improve Green Score and suit it further to customers needs. In building the extension we already conduct a survey to learn more about customer needs. While using Green Score the users can suggest online shops where Green Score should be implemented, suggest brands which Green Score should research and suggest materials.
The aim of Green Score is to create a community of like-minded people who are interested in creating a powerful tool to have Agency against Greenwashing.
The extension will be available for free to certain user groups (test version, free version for pupils and students). In total Green Score has the claim to be free for as many as possible if we can manage to create the necessary funding. From our Green Score view the brands should be in charge of providing the decent information to customers. It's the brands responsibility. Therefore we want to charge the user as less as possible. Until then Green Score has a very low access price point comparable to the price of a cup of coffee.
Results in relation to category
With the Green Score browser extension, customers will no longer have to decide whether their online purchases are fashionable or sustainable. Because Green Score supports sustainable purchasing decisions - without pointing fingers and with absolute freedom of action!
The goal is to bring about a change in clothing consumption in the direction of sustainability, while the customer always remains capable of taking action.
The goal of Green Score is to establish a new fashion: that of a cause and effect awareness and at the same time to undermine greenwashing.
How Citizens benefit
During the development of Green Score a survey was conducted which brought further insights into the desired features of customers. I.e. we asked what information Green Score should provide so users can make a sustainable decision. We implemented those parameters and plan to further do so. User participation is one of our main objectives since Green Score is a tool created by conscious consumers FOR conscious consumers.
Physical or other transformations
Innovative character
Fashionable or sustainable? With the Green Score browser extension, customers will no longer have to decide whether their online purchases are fashionable or sustainable. Because Green Score supports sustainable purchasing decisions - without pointing fingers and with absolute freedom of action!
Green Score is a browser extension that supports consumers in clothing online stores to make a sustainable purchase decision by providing independent valid data where it is needed - directly in the online store.
The goal is to bring about a change in clothing consumption in the direction of sustainability, while the customer always remains capable of taking action.
The goal of Green Score is to establish a new fashion: that of a cause and effect awareness and at the same time to undermine greenwashing.
Unlike other applications, Green Score does not divert users away from the actual "place of action" - the online store - but the browser extension is installed once in the Google Chrome browser and then works in all* online stores (*currently Green Score already works in 39 online stores, including the most popular multi-label online stores in the DACH region such as Zalando, About You, ASOS etc.).
Green Score is a local application (browser extension = utility in the internet browser) i.e. cooperation with brands and stores is not necessary and can therefore provide independent and reliable information #stopgreenwashing
Learning transferred to other parties
The potential of Green Score is to encourage society and normal people – like you and me – that we can make a difference. We are in this together. We are not victims of our circumstances. It's in each and everyone's interest to create a world worth living.
