Remaining conscious and responsible whilst making your everyday decisions is at the heart of these five apps we think can improve the world we live in. As consumers, we can send powerful messages with where we spend or don’t spend our money, and as businesspeople, it is within our power to direct attention to injustice or unethical practices by using progressive, environmentally friendly, and sustainable processes. There are thousands of apps that could help you along your way – here are five of our favourites.

Duration : 2 min to read

Buycott

WIth the tagline “vote with your wallet”, Buycott has a very clear and simple goal – to organise your consumer spending to help causes that you care for, and to oppose those that you don’t. All you need to do is scan the barcode of a product and the database will let you know who owns it – and if it isn’t yet recognised, you’ll be helping expand the knowledge of an organisation committed to responsible purchasing.

Boycott SOPA

Taking Buycott’s model one step more specific, Boycott SOPA uses similar barcode scanning technology to determine whether the corporate owner, publisher, or manufacturer of the product you might purchase is a supporter of the hotly debated Stop Online Piracy Act. AOL, Ebay, Facebook, Google, Mozilla, Twitter, and Yahoo are just some of the technology giants publicly deploring the legislation, which is argued as another step further in governmental monitoring of the internet.

Good Guide

Good Guide will help you find safe, healthy, green, and ethical product reviews, all based on scientific ratings in three categories; environment, health, and social impact. Multiple components of the product are taken into account – from ingredients and environmental impact to the treatment of the workers and transparency in process.

Seafood Watch

Protecting sea life and habitats is the priority of Seafood Watch, an organisation set up by the Monterey Bay Aquarium to help consumers and businesses choose seafood farmed or fished in ways that protect and sustain the oceans. 45 million consumer guides have been distributed since they began raising awareness of the issue in 1999, and their app has been downloaded over a million times.

iRecycle

iRecycle is a green distributor that aims to measurably benefit the environment by offering retailers and buying groups opportunities to access a large variety of environmentally friendly products. One truckload of their TerraDeck product would divert more than 140,000 milk jugs from landfills. Giving retailers the option to stock such sustainable produce also strengthens the consumers, who are becoming more demanding in their quest for ethical goods.

Our definition of being a better citizen isn’t entirely included in the specifics involved with your environmental output, but these apps, amongst many others, are all brilliant at helping you remain consciously responsible in your purchases – and as all business people know, trends in products and services will follow the direction set by the money of the consumers. Another small but remarkable step in progressing towards a more sustainable future.

Please share your experiences and views in the comment section

PHOTO CREDITS: Stanley Yuu on flickr