The Conscious Consumer

Janani, Grade 9, has developed an online web extension called ‘The Conscious Consumer’. The web extension aims at helping consumers to make climate conscious choices in their online shopping. The software uses artificial intelligence and is still under development. Janani hopes that the extension will be able to include bigger established brands and follow consumers’ purchases from, for example, Amazon, to track the purchases made in the last month, and how sustainable they are according to different variables. Janani was interviewed by Giovana and Vyom, also from Grade 9, to find out more about the program and visions for the future.

I just hope that this helps people take the first step to at least initiating conversations about climate change, and how as individuals we can build a better, and more sustainable society – Janani, Grade 9

The idea behind the application came from the developers own experiences as online consumers. “Ever since I learnt about buying climate-consciously it took me at least 15 minutes to do a full background search of my product and figure out whether it was sustainable and if not, the alternatives”, explains Janani, who started the work as something that would help her, and hopefully others, make better decisions without having to scour the internet for alternatives before they purchase.

Many of us are terrified by climate change and it can feel daunting, which might lead to apathy and inaction. “I believe that as individuals we can still make a difference, no matter how minimal – and we can start by buying sustainably”, says Janani who stresses that the issue is not about lack of awareness about climate issues, but feelings of being unable to make a difference.

There is still development needed for the web extension and it is a work in progress. “There are still some bugs and technical issues, but apart from those I’m hoping to refine it to include popular brands, so the extension can tell you whether the brand you’re buying from follows ethical practices or not”, says Janani who is learning as she is coding. The plan is to add new features as she proceeds, such as a carbon footprint tracker and advice on ethical practices. This will take a while, as the software needs to be trained using artificial intelligence and needs data to learn from.

However, Janani believes that there is great potential for consumers to vote with their purchasing power: “When we buy less of one type of commodity the demand for it goes down, so suppliers will in turn produce less of that commodity, and adapt to the changing market, which in this case means more sustainable products.” Therefore, as a consumer, the best thing one can do is buy sustainable products and take ethical considerations into account. “I just want to help guide people to take the first step”, says Janani, who also mentions other things one can do, such as research, and understanding and advocating for public policy that may also help individuals to fight climate change.

To get the extension for Google Chrome, click here.