February 19, 2008

Environmentally Aware and Socially Responsible Shopping and Web Browsing

Do you wish there was a way to know a company's environmental and social responsibility rating easily and independently of the company's profile? Now there is a way with Scryve.

Scryve is a collaborative web resource and browser tool combination that provides a resource for environmentally and socially aware Internet browsing. Look up company ratings using the search box below, or Download our browser tool to see the rating of any company whose website you are on in the top right corner of your browser. If you like the rating, keep browsing, if you don't like it, click on it and we'll show you why the company is rated that way and give you alternative companies to use.

Although this database is still under development and does not contain a lot of the smaller companies, there is a lot of information about the big guys. I decided to look up Clorox, given their recent jump into the green cleaning market. Scryve gave Clorox a rating of 5 out of 10 because:

They dispose of materials in an unsatisfactory way. More effort should be applied to improving their disposal processes as they are worse than should be expected of any company (unfortunately, many companies fail to deal with this issue). This company's neglect for the environment that sustains it is shocking... They have inadequate oversight of their supply chain, which enables the abuse of their subcontracted labor force. We've found that this company has a positive impact on its employees and on the communities where it operates. They make a real effort to ensure that their impact on the global community is positive.

Thankfully, Seventh Generation, with a rating of 8, is offered as an alternative choice to Clorox on Scryve. Scryve is a wiki, and you can sign up to be one of the contributing researchers! This site and its toolbar make shopping responsibly a little easier.