Effortless sustainable shopping: browser extension finds green alternatives
Once downloaded, users shop as normal… e.g. for deodorant
If there is a more ethical product, The Beagle Button fetches it instantly
The Beagle Button is compatible with nearly all browsers and can be used to shop for anything from banking to coffee. The tech startup has independently researched thousands of the most ethical and eco-friendly products worldwide so you don’t have to and held them against its sustainability values of reducing waste, minimising emissions, supporting workers, protecting animals, and avoiding harmful chemicals.
Using these values and earmarking them against existing customer reviews, Beagle uses a blend of machine learning and natural language processing to match users with a suitable product alternative as they browse in real time.
How does it work?
Once downloaded onto their browser, users simply shop online as normal, then if there’s a product or retailer that is more sustainable to what they are looking at, The Beagle Button automatically recommends an alternative.
Beagle works on a product level, so no random or irrelevant alternatives pop up too whilst you’re browsing. So, for example if you’re shopping for black jeans, Beagle will pop up with a sustainable equivalent in the same colour and style. If you decide to choose the alternative, simply click on the pop up and it will take you directly to the different retailer’s site.
Tailored to you
Beagle Button knows sustainability and ethical consumption means different things to different people so users can set filters to closely align with what they care about most. Filter choices include:
Organic
Plastic-free
Vegan
Longer lasting
Ethically made
Low-Carbon
Women-Run
Gives Back
Made in the UK
Minority owned
Second hand
The Beagle Button works when users shop across the top 100 retail sites in the UK, including Amazon and ASOS, and will instead redirect shoppers to buy from one of their 250 verified ethical brands and retailers from Finisterre and Allbirds to Cheeky Panda and the Environmental Toothbrush.
What can I use it for?
Beagle Button works across multiple departments, including:
Beauty, grooming and hygiene
Furniture
Cleaning
Homeware
Electronics
Clothing
Accessories
Appliances
Services
Food and drink
Mobile tariffs
Energy providers
Banking providers
Daniel Hemsley, CEO and Co-founder of the Beagle Button said: “We all love the convenience of online shopping, but it comes with a terrible cost to our planet. Even people who care about the environment often struggle to find sustainable alternatives. We wanted to take all the time-consuming research out of the process to make shopping sustainably as simple as a single click.
“The Beagle Button is a tool that sits within your browser and recommends more sustainable and ethical products automatically, making planet-friendly shopping more accessible, less of a chore and genuinely convenient.
“We’re aware that sustainability means different things to different people so we encourage users to select their preferences so we can show them the best possible and most relevant alternatives.
“Our priority is putting the absolute best, most sustainable products in front of people. We’re constantly evolving and looking for leading sustainable products and services. Both merchants and our users themselves can suggest products to us. We’ll then assess these and if they pass our criteria, we’ll add them to our database.”
2022-05-17
