Following on from the recent post sustainable tips for your wardrobe, I came across this very interesting sustainable thinking app ‘Good On You’ – which can help the consumer make informed decisions in regards to the ethical, environmental and sustainable nature of brands they are purchasing.
The Good On You app is Australian based and lists more than 3,000 clothing, footwear and accessory brands you will find commonly in Australian shopping malls. The app was developed and is run by the charity Ethical Consumers Australia. Information sources are varied including certification schemes and other independent rating projects (more info available on the app itself).
The best way I found to use the app is to type in the name of a brand into the search function. (But it is also possible to search by category).
This then brings up the brand along with ranking out of 5 and a short synopsis. From here you can read more and see how the rankings look for the categories ‘Labour’, ‘Environment’ and ‘Animal’.
‘Labour’ encompasses aspects such as wages, policies and workers rights and info is drawn from the 2016 Australian Fashion Report. ‘Environment’ covers off things like the environmental codes of practices (and use of hazardous dyes etc), while the ‘Animal’ ranking takes into account the materials used (obviously brands with a low ranking include ones that use fur, angora etc).
Brands that rank low also include those that do not disclose information on the three factors.
Once you have searched on a brand you can also see a list of similar brands to see how they compare and possibly select an alternative brand that ranks higher.
Another interesting aspect of the app is it gives the user the opportunity to send direct feedback to the company or brand you have selected.
Other features of the app include a news section on the home page and an offers page.
Overall I found the app very user friendly and easy to use. The information was well set out and written. I think it’s great to see something like this available for the consumer and personally I will definitely be using it more before I make my purchase decisions.
For more info on the app go to goodonyou.org.au/app or download on the App Store or Google Play.
