Product Reviews with GoodGuide

In the past few years I've started to pay more attention to the brands of products that I purchase. This includes the company's dedication to sustainability through its ingredients list and packaging, product testing methods, and its manufacturing processes. Luckily, I've found a handy website that's concerned about all of these things and more. It's called GoodGuide. I plan on including some product reviews in this blog, and with each review I'll state the product's GoodGuide rating--so I figured it would be good of me to provide a little more information about this system*.

It offers a ratings method that spits out a numerical value between 0 and 10 (10 being the best). This number is an average of three composite scores in the areas of Health (related to the product's ingredients and their direct impact on you, the consumer), Environment (reflecting the company's commitment to biodiversity policies) and Society (focusing on the social impacts associated with the manufacture of a product). Their ratings system is broken down in extensive detail here. You can shop by category (personal care, food, pets, electronics, etc) or brand, and when you're viewing the rating for a particular product, it will suggest similar products and show you their rating as well. You can even install a toolbar to accompany you while shopping online. And what's more, they've even created a handy little smartphone app to use while you're in the store, debating over which product you should buy (and which company you should support with your money). Just scan the barcode and you're brought to the product's ratings page. Neat huh?

So with that said, I look forward to being able to provide reviews that are not only informative from a consumer's perspective, but also more information regarding the product's manufacturer and its practices. I also hope this inspires you to take a moment to think about what you purchase, and helps you make more informed choices in the store! Happy shopping!

*If you're looking for more information about how the website and company itself is run, you can find that on their About page, which lists its methodology and states where it gets its funding.