Great questions!

How Good Guide works: their office, in San Francisco, has 12 full-time and 12 part-time employees, half scientists and half engineers. They have scored over 75,000 products with data from nearly 200 sources, including government databases, studies by nonprofits and academics, and the research by scientists on the GoodGuide staff.

The Good Guide openly acknowledges that there are gaps in the data, because manufacturers are not (yet anyway) required to list all of the ingredients in their products. However, growing consumer concern is forcing more companies to be more transparent; reportedly Clorox and SC Johnson are disclosing all the ingredients in their products, thus allowing Good Guide to fill in the gaps.

I think it will be hard for companies to Greenwash the Good Guide. Their mission is to flip the marketing world on its head and empower the consumer. They’re a certified B-Corporation, a new type of corporation that requires transparent social and environmental performance standards (http://www.bcorporation.net/about). And last, but not least, they do not sell ads or plan to.

In short, it appears companies would have to greenwash government databases, studies by nonprofits/academics and the research of scientists to improve their score. While possible, it’s certainly no small task…so it seems that companies will have to truly make meaningful changes to improve their ratings.

Based on this, do you think Good Guide will be legit? Or do you still have some doubts?

Thanks for the kind words – they’re fuel for helping us find some more nuggets:) I’ve been trying the Good Guide – was surprised to find an organic milk I buy is really not so good (no longer buying that brand:(. Have yet to participate in a carrot mob, but look forward to doing so and sharing the experience. On that note, if you try anything or see some inspiring stuff regarding the ‘responsibility revolution’, definitely share! It’s a trend we intend to watch… In any event, have an amazing weekend! Seinn