CoGo – Connecting Good

“You’re the sort of person that’s making choices that change the world. You care about climate change, animal welfare, giving back to your community, and going plastic free.”

Were these values just plucked out of your own head? Sorry to disappoint, but no, we are not mind readers. You haven’t clicked into some strange ethical fashion/psychic website that offers outfit advice depending on your star sign. This excerpt is actually from CoGo, and the ethics within it are what they are basing their entire app off.

Those values sound like everything us EME gals (and guys)—and probably you if you’re here—try and live by when it comes to ethical fashion. We also try hard to follow these values within our daily lives but we all know that ain’t easy. CoGo is short for “Connecting Good”, and this is summative of what they are trying to achieve. Not only do they connect the user with businesses that share their own personal values but they also inform those businesses of the amount of change they are helping to make.

It is free, you ask? Yes, it totally is. The only reason the app asks for your credit card details is to link it to your CoGo account in order to send signals to the businesses you shop from. This ensures they know which values you as a consumer, well, value.

They work in partnership with world-class certifiers including the Fairtrade Mark and Global Organic Textile Standard, and even have a goal to become an accreditation system for businesses. Basically, CoGo is an app that lets you shop by your ethics by providing you with businesses that value the same things.

Sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it? Here’s some stats for you, direct from the CoGo website. Every year CoGo businesses are:

Diverting 329 tonnes of recyclables diverted from landfill;
5 businesses becoming Living Wage Certified;
Saving 36,616 items of disposable packaging from landfill; and
Donating $75,376 to help those in need in our communities and the environment.

CoGo is more than an app; it’s a movement, a step in the right direction for those of us who are trying to live more planet-friendly and even more so for those of you who aren’t. Whether you’re already years down the rabbit hole or you’re a well-intentioned newbie, consider giving CoGo a GoGo (sorry, had to).