For Trinity students Laura Brennan and Lara Páirceir, sustainable consumption is at the forefront of the modern consumerist agenda. The pair are the founders of EthiCart, an application that empowers consumers to make more sustainable choices when selecting their food products.
Speaking to the The University Times, Brennan says that EthiCart targets “socially conscious consumers who are making small, incremental changes to their lifestyle, and seeking more simple ways to obtain a sustainable lifestyle”. The application does this, she adds, by conveniently providing “quick, accessible, and easy to understand information around your food products’ sustainability and ethical standards”.
The app surveys the sustainability profile of products, taking into account certifications from the likes of the Irish Organic Association, Fair Trade, and Sustainable Palm Oil. Having aggregated the already existing information around a product’s certifications, EthiCart splits the product’s ratings into three categories: the production, packaging, and company itself, amounting to an overall sustainability profile. Once a consumer has reviewed a product’s sustainability profile, they’ll then be equipped with the knowledge to make a more sustainable choice.
Speaking about how the idea for the app first came about, Páirceir says, “We wanted to become more conscious consumers, but also we just found it so difficult to tell how sustainable products were. We’re just students and there’s an information overload.”
We wanted to become more conscious consumers, but also we just found it so difficult to tell how sustainable products were.
The pilot version of the app, which launched last week, will be Trinity-centered. Food products available from outlets and retail facilities on campus – from St. James’ Hospital to Smiles at Trinity Hall – will be available to look-up on the EthiCart server. After a quick barcode scan, EthiCart displays the overall sustainability profile of a food product. “We’ve done the research for ourselves”, says Brennan, who is studying computer science and business. “We’re really focused on educating our users so they can understand where the scoring comes from, what all the certifications mean, and how to become more conscious consumers.”
Having no specific framework for sustainability metrics was initially a challenge for the pair. As pioneers in a relatively new space, Páirceir, a final-year sociology and social-policy student, says that “brands aren’t at the level of transparency that we’d like them to be” – that’s why piloting the app at the Trinity-level is ideal. While they want to expand the app to include more mainstream food shops in the future, testing user response at a smaller scope will enable the two to better gauge initial reactions.
As young, female entrepreneurs, Brennan and Parcéir encourage other women to enter the tech space and utilise the plethora of resources that Trinity has to offer to aspiring business-owners, including Tangent, Trinity Entrepreneurial Society (TES), Launch Box, and Launch Pad. “People are afraid of failure, or laughter if anything goes badly, but I don’t think you can get anything but a positive experience from just trying something new”, Brennan encourages.
The pair are currently working with Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) to promote the app. Given the TCDSU’s eco-minded platform, Brennan believes “there’s a point of contact for people to download it”. EthiCart will also be teaming up with EnviroSoc for event collaborations, and Enactus to feature EthiCart brand ambassadors.
With more and more consumers being driven by their own ethics in decision-making, EthiCart serves its purpose to create a holistic picture for young consumers to practice sustainable consumption in their day-to-day lives. For more information on the startup, as well as plant-based recipes and eco-friendly tips, follow the Ethicart page on Instagram.
