Earthmark has launched a new platform aimed at making environmental performance data easier for consumers and brands to access, in order to inform better decision-making.
Launched at London Climate Action Week, Earthmark describes the platform as a ‘Trustpilot for the climate’, with more than 25,000 brands featured on the platform, earning a score of between zero and five, based on publicly available environmental information.
The Oxford-based climate technology company said that these scores can enable consumers and businesses to understand a company’s environmental performance ‘at a glance’, and tackle the ‘persistent problem’ of greenwashing and greenhushing.
‘Not easily accessible’
“Currently companies spend a huge amount of time and money assessing and reporting on their environmental performance but this information is not easily accessible to consumers,” commented Jack Linnett, CEO at Earthmark. “There isn’t a simple, trusted way of seeing an organisation’s environmental impact at a glance.
“Meanwhile, greenwashing, where businesses exaggerate their green credentials, and greenhushing, where they’re too scared to talk about their credentials in case of scrutiny or criticism, all create confusion. With our comprehensive directory and consumer-friendly scores, we’re making company environmental data accessible to everybody.”
As well as gathering data from firms’ own sustainability and impact reports, Earthmark also relies on third-party sources including the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and B Corp in determining its scoring, using proprietary AI to accelerate the collection and analysis of corporate climate disclosures.
Its methodology combines data on carbon emissions, waste, disclosure quality, future commitments (including SBTi net zero targets), and external assessments.
Environmental credentials
“Shoppers increasingly consider a company’s environmental credentials alongside price, quality and convenience when deciding where to spend their money,” added Moji Oshisanya, chief commercial officer at VoucherCodes, which has integrated Earthmark’s ratings into its commercial platform. “When sustainability information is clear and easy to find, shoppers are more confident in their decisions.”
Earthmark is part of the Sustainable Ventures National Climate Tech Accelerator (NCTA). Backers and advisors include current and former senior leaders from Checkatrade, Defaqto, Depop, Glassdoor, Google, and Gumtree. Read more here.
