Try this: A new app for product safety and sustainability
Brigid, one of our in-house sustainability advocates, opens our eyes to an issue we rarely think about.
When it comes to chemicals and pesticides, the United States lags in restrictions for both cosmetics and food. In makeup, there are currently only 11 banned chemicals (compared to Europe, where there are around 1,300). And our processed food is even worse.
Between the multimillion dollar marketing campaigns, the “greenwashing”, and the complicated ingredient lists, it’s hard to know what is and isn’t a safe choice. But let’s get real: who can keep up? Researching the safety of every personal product or food item that you buy can be a full-time job.
For the Environmental Working Group, it is. Creator of the “Clean Fifteen” and the “Dirty Dozen” guides, the EWG has now given us the knowledge we need right in our pockets with its Healthy Living App. (Download it here).
Here’s how it works. The next time you’re in the grocery store or wandering the aisles of Walgreens, open the app to check the “score” of any item before you put it in your basket. You simply scan the barcode, search by category, or enter it into a search bar. Then the app fills you in on all the chemicals and ingredients you’d be exposed to by using this product. It gives it a score on a scale of 1 - 10, so you can digest the information quickly.
We’ve become so smitten with the app, we incorporated it into our High Performance Workplace challenge as a possible way to earn points. The app is just too easy not to use.
We challenge you to whip out the app the next time you’re going shopping and educate yourself on your options--the healthy ones, and the not-so healthy ones.