Finch, a digital sustainability tool andbrowser extensionthat combines real science with real reviews to score products' environmental and social impacts, recently announced the winners of its first "Best Of" product awards, recognizing excellence across five categories: Baby, Bathroom, Kitchen, Laundry, and Personal Care. The company scored hundreds of thousands of products based on key factors acrosssix environmental footprints, while also evaluating their efficacy from real reviews.
The six key footprints are as follows:
Climate Footprint:The carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are directly or indirectly released into the atmosphere by a product when it is made or used.
Water Footprint:The amount of water that is used to make and use a product, and the vulnerability of the watershed that the water is pulled from. This accounts for water scarcity in the area, whether the product contributes to that risk and/or pollutes the local water supply.
Human Well-Being Footprint:The level of toxicity of a product, including if it is detrimental to you and your family's health and/or to the workers who make it. This also accounts for the treatment of workers along the supply chain and their working conditions.
Ecological Footprint:The impact a product has on biodiversity, including the extent to which it harms or benefits local ecosystems and the natural habitats that plants and animals rely on.
Waste Footprint:The waste created by a product and its packaging, which is the result of how it is manufactured, how long a product lasts and how likely it is to be reused, recycled, or landfilled. This also accounts for whether that waste is hazardous.
Raw Materials Footprint:The materials that are used to make a product, which accounts for how rare they are, whether they are renewable, how difficult they are to source, and how environmentally damaging it is to collect them.
"People are overwhelmed with jargon and greenwashing when it comes to sustainability, which is why we deliberately created Finch as the reliably simple, science-based resource people crave to stay curious, choose wisely, and take action," said Lizzie Horvitz, CEO and founder, Finch. "While consumers are purposely misled with meaningless 'clean' marketing terms, we wanted to recognize and celebrate those companies that are actually offering more sustainable products - being sustainable isn't just about lowering the environmental footprint, it also means providing best-in-class performance and experience."
Here are the winners of Finch's first"Best Of" product awards:
Baby:Alaffia Creme Face(Baby Lotion),Babo Botanicals Moisturizing Conditioner(Baby Conditioner),Babo Botanicals Baby Face(Baby Sunscreen),Babyganics Unscented Baby Wipes(Baby Wipes),Burt's Bees Baby Shampoo & Wash(Baby Shampoo),Dr. Bronner's Hemp Baby Unscented(Baby Bar Soaps),Seventh Generation Sensitive Protection(Disposable Diapers),The Honest Company Gently Nourishing(Baby Bubble Bath)
Bathroom:Better Life Natural(Toilet Bowl Cleaner),Cheeky Panda Bamboo Tissues(Tissues),Seventh Generation 100% Recycled Bath Tissue(Toilet Paper)
Kitchen:Attitude Citrus Zest Glass Cleaner(Glass Cleaner),Biokleen Automatic Dish Powder(Dish Soap),Caboo Bamboo Napkins(Napkins),Caboo Bamboo Paper Towels(Paper Towels),Cleancult Lemongrass Dishwasher Tablets(Dishwasher Detergent),Puracy Lemongrass Natural Surface Cleaner(Multi-Surface Cleaner),Seventh Generation Tall Kitchen(Trash Bags)
Laundry:Dropps Lavender Eucalyptus Fabric Softener(Fabric Softener),Ecos Earth Friendly Stain Remover(Stain Remover),Mama Earth Liquidless Laundry Detergent(Laundry Detergent),Seventh Generation Lavender Dryer Sheets(Dryer Sheets)
Personal Care:Babo Botanicals Clear Zinc Face Sunscreen(Face Sunscreen),Badger Blue Tansy & Lavender After Sun Balm(After Sun Care),Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Day Lotion(Body Lotion),Hibar Maintain Solid Conditioner(Conditioner),Hibar Maintain Shampoo(Shampoo),Lola Organic Cotton Tampons(Tampons),Native Cherry & Vanilla Macaron Deodorant(Deodorant And Antiperspirant),Organicup Reusable Menstrual Cups(Menstrual Cups),Rael Overnight Menstrual Pads(Menstrual Pads),Schmidt's Tea Tree + Ginger Fluoride Free Mouthwash(Mouthwash),Shea Moisture Butter Creme(Shaving Cream),Tom's Of Maine Antiplaque Dental Floss(Dental Floss),Tom's Of Maine Cinnamon Toothpaste(Toothpaste),Tom's Of Maine Naturally Clean Manual Toothbrushes(Toothbrushes), andUrsa Major Fantastic Face Wash(Face Wash)
The company recently launched theFinch extension on Chrome, which helps people make wiser choices about products they are buying on Amazon. To date, Finch has rated over 250,000 products in 85 categories. Once installed, the extension lives in your Chrome browser as a tab on the right side of the screen. When browsing a product on Amazon, click the tab and it provides the sustainability score for the product (out of 10) and makes recommendations for the best-rated items in that product category. You can see the extension in actionhereand read more about the methodologyhere.
About Finch:
Founded in 2020, Finch is a tool that educates people on the ins and outs of sustainability by turning complex scientific facts into simple, actionable insights. Launched as abrowser extension, Finch fuses expert scores on products' environmental and social impacts with functional reviews from real people to pinpoint the stuff you actually want to use, the stuff that doesn't suck, and the stuff that's better for the planet, all in one place. With a mission to decode sustainability and equip people with the knowledge to make decisions with confidence, Finch believes that we can sustain the planet and society without sacrifice when we make wiser choices, together. Learn more atwww.choosefinch.com.
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