Sustainable Bob

When an e-commerce product is selected, the extension displays an ECO-score made up of ESG ratings, and tailored recommendations to promote informed, responsible, and sustainable purchasing decisions.

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Sustainable Bob

Inspiration

We were inspired by the growing demand for transparency and ethical responsibility in consumer behaviour. As e-commerce continues to surge, there’s a pressing need for tools that empower buyers to understand the environmental and social impact of their purchases. As such we want to bring ESG awareness to the forefront of digital shopping.

What it does

Sustainable Bob is a browser extension that provides real-time Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) scores for products on e-commerce sites. It analyses product details, assigns tailored ECO and ESG ratings, and delivers more sustainable recommendations, enabling consumers to make more informed and responsible choices.

How we built it

The solution is built as a full-stack application:

  • Frontend: A lightweight Chrome extension using vanilla HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
  • Customization: Users can adjust weighting for 15+ ESG sub-metrics via a settings page to adjust personal preferences.
  • Backend: A Python Flask server processes product data and constructs context-aware prompts for the OpenAI GPT-4o-mini model.
  • Data Standards: Our assessment framework is based on GRI standards (e.g., GRI 305 for emissions, GRI 403 for worker safety), ensuring credibility and alignment with global benchmarks.
  • AI Integration: The OpenAI model evaluates and returns ESG scores with improvement suggestions, which are visualized using radial gauges and letter grades in the extension.

Challenges we ran into

  • Data Granularity: Extracting meaningful sustainability signals from limited or vague product descriptions.
  • Score Calibration: Designing a scoring system flexible enough for personalization yet rigorous enough to remain credible.
  • API Cost/Rate Limits: Efficiently managing API usage while ensuring fast, accurate responses required backend optimization.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Successfully integrated a live ESG scoring system into e-commerce sites via a lightweight extension.
  • Developed a customizable scoring algorithm with alignment to GRI standards.
  • Created a seamless user experience that translates complex ESG data into digestible information.
  • Empowered users to personalise sustainability metrics based on their own preferences.

What we learned

  • AI can be a powerful tool to interpret and translate qualitative sustainability data into structured insights.
  • Standardized frameworks like GRI are essential for building trust and consistency in ESG evaluation.
  • Simple, intuitive interfaces greatly enhance user engagement.
  • Personalization boosts the relevance and impact of sustainability scores in real-world decision-making.

What's next for Sustainable Bob

  • Data Expansion: Incorporate more product datasets and broader e-commerce platform support.
  • Community Feedback: Allow users to contribute reviews or flag questionable sustainability claims.
  • Gamification: Introduce rewards or challenges to encourage eco-friendly shopping behaviour.
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