Our story
The Climate Crisis: A Consumption Crisis
The climate crisis we face today is fundamentally a consumption crisis, driven by the relentless growth of capitalism. This economic system encourages mass production and rapid consumption, often at the expense of the environment. Products are manufactured with little regard for their lifecycle, resulting in significant waste and pollution.
Consumers, in pursuit of convenience, frequently choose products without considering how they are produced or their environmental impact. This behaviour perpetuates a cycle of waste and resource depletion. The proliferation of single-use plastics, fast fashion, and electronic waste exemplifies this issue. These products, while convenient, have a substantial environmental footprint, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and ocean pollution.
Moreover, the marketing strategies of corporations often promote overconsumption, presenting a lifestyle that equates buying more with happiness and success. This relentless consumerism not only harms the planet but also creates a disconnect between people and the environmental consequences of their purchases.
Empowering Conscious Consumerism
Ganddee, initially launched in London, has now expanded nationwide across the UK. This mobile app connects users with over 4000 vetted sustainable businesses, making it easy to find ethical alternatives like second-hand shops, libraries of things, farmers' markets, zero waste stores etc. By highlighting sustainability credentials and offering exclusive discounts, Ganddee empowers consumers to make informed choices that support a sustainable economy.
Ganddee’s mission is to foster a community of conscious consumers who prioritise sustainability in their shopping habits. As the app's user base grows, it aims to inspire global change towards more ethical consumerism. The founders of Ganddee, with their extensive experience in engineering and sustainability, recognised the need for a tool that bridges the gap between consumer choices and environmental impact.
Transforming Shopping Habits
The app makes it easier to discover and support local ethical businesses, helping to reduce personal waste and promote a more sustainable way of living. Users can find everything from plastic-free grocers to rental shops and vegan restaurants, all at their fingertips. By offering a platform where consumers can view sustainability credentials and access exclusive discounts, Ganddee encourages individuals to make environmentally friendly choices effortlessly.
Ganddee also enables users to contribute by recommending their favourite ethical businesses, creating a community-driven approach to sustainable shopping. This shift in consumer behaviour is essential in addressing the broader climate crisis, highlighting the importance of mindful consumption in our daily lives.
By promoting ethical consumerism, Ganddee aims to reduce the negative impacts of consumption on the environment, supporting a transition to a more sustainable economy. As more people join this movement, the collective impact on reducing waste and promoting sustainability will grow, making a significant difference in the fight against climate change.
Our advice
One critical insight is that our economy's focus on carbon credits is flawed. Instead of promoting individual responsibility and sustainable consumption, carbon credits allow companies to offset emissions while continuing to produce more. This system provides a certificate to pollute, which can lead to increased overall emissions. The emphasis on carbon credits rather than reducing consumption widens the gap between environmental goals and actual outcomes, highlighting the need for consumers to reconsider their consumption patterns and support sustainable practices directly.
Our metrics
Number of People Joining the Community: Tracking the growth of our user base helps us understand the reach and appeal of our platform.
Number of People Visiting the Shops: Monitoring foot and transactions at the sustainable businesses we support indicates our impact on promoting ethical shopping.
Community Engagement: Measuring how often community members refer and review shops gives us insights into user satisfaction and the effectiveness of our recommendations.
