Green is the new Black – Giki Shopping App

I have a very exciting Green is the new Black post for you; and this one may prove slightly addictive – you’ve been warned. I happily admit that I hate food shopping. It stresses me out.  Not just because of meal plans, calories etc…. but because there are so many items, so much to think about and usually so little time in which to make these decisions. I do think it’s encouraging that more and more consumers are now trying to make positive choices. We seem to be much more aware (or at least we’re getting there) of the fact that each and every purchase we make is having an impact on our environment. How much do we actually know about the products that we are buying week in, week out? The food we eat, the cleaning products we use, the creams and powders we place on our skin and bodies?  I get that it’s quite easy to burn yourself out researching each and every product you buy. I get it because this happens to me regularly! Luckily, there is now an app to do the hard work for you. Available on both IOS and Android, meet Giki – Your sustainable shopping companion.

Giki was the brain baby of husband and wife team James and Jo Hand in 2016. The couple were perplexed as to how there was nothing out there already to help them, their friends and their family to find products that aligned with their personal values. Because we all prioritise things differently, labels can’t always tell us everything we personally want to know. So imagine how much better it would be if there were an app that allowed you to scan a barcode and ‘Hey Presto” all the information is right there on your hand held device. Oh…… Hi There Giki!

The Hands’ did initially wonder if an app like this was even possible. There was so much product information out there but it just wasn’t readily available. However, after a very successful Beta test on 150 people the App was ready to launch in the spring of 2018. It currently stands at just under 4000 downloads and has over 270,000 products (and climbing) in their database.  With the Giki App you can put sustainable consumerism in your hands (quite literally) and make the changes that feel good for you.

So how does it work?

Giki uses a “badge’ system to rate products. There are 12 of them in fact (see below). The ratings draw on a number of different sources including the information on the packaging; government guidelines and scientific research. This data is then drawn into the Giki database where it algorithmically scores each product against all the badge options. You can read more about how the products are rated here if you are keen to know exactly how the magic happens. I love that there are so many badges. From carbon footprint to animal welfare and the big ones for me – recyclable packaging and no chemicals of concern. It’s so easy to pick out what matters most to you and then to put your money where your values are.

 

The app is also constantly updating with new features being added regularly. Coming very soon is the sustainable palm oil badge – a UK first. Palm oil is present in many products, but with one barcode scan Giki will be able to tell you whether the product you’re purchasing is using palm oil from a sustainable source. You can read more about the importance of sustainable palm oil right here.

One of the things I probably like best about the Giki app is that once it’s shown me which badges apply to whatever it is I’m wanting to buy, it then offers me alternative products that are similar but have a better score/more badges. It’s clear, quick and to the point which just helps to make the whole shopping experience so much easier. And also scanning is fun – like a lot of fun.

So what if the product I try to scan isn’t available?

Of course being a fairly new app, there are going to be some smaller brand and own supermarket brands that are not yet in the database. But as I mentioned earlier, new items are being added all the time and this is where you can actually help. If the product is not found you will see an “Add Product” option right there in the app. All you need to do then is fill out Giki’s easy to use (but quite lengthy – perhaps wait till you’re back home rather than standing in a supermarket aisle) form. Giki can then take this information and verify the item. Simple as that and you will feel like you’ve contributed 🙂

Giki are also currently working with Breast Cancer UK to help us to become more knowledge about the potentially harmful chemicals in our beauty and cleaning products. Ladies please take a moment to read this linked article, it’s quite frightening but I hope it will give you something to think about and more of a reason to go and download this app immediately.

I seriously can’t say enough good things about Giki and I’m so happy to be sharing it here. Although I’m now fully expecting that every time I walk in to a supermarket I’m going to see tonnes of people getting “Giki scan happy.” I joke, but I really hope that this starts to happen. It needs to happen. And with Giki – your sustainable shopping companion we can all start making a difference, right now. Go ahead and download it for Android and  Apple and have fun ransacking your cupboards for scan-able items.

Beth Anne xoxo