Positive products

Current state of things

Startups optimise for growing users and maximising profit.

As history has shown, concentrating on these two metrics alone can result in missing or ignoring other factors which typically leads to unintended negative consequences.

Examples of this in the real world are:

A growing awareness

Over the past couple of years, general awareness around ethical production and sustainability topics has inreased and continues to. People are slowly starting to question their consumption habits and make more of an effort into minimise their negative effects on the environment. Tech companies aren't evolving at the same rate however, meaning even if they want to, their users are unable to modify their in app habits to be more positive.

Double and triple bottom line thinking is shown to have a positive impact not only on society and the environment, but also on a company's financial bottom line.

DIY user testing

When coming up with new product features, tech companies normally do a lot of user interviews and testing, in an attempt to gauge interest in said feature. To make it easier for these companies to make their products more ethical and sustainable, we enable sustainability minded users to suggest and vote for the features they'd like to see and use. Less time user testing, more time building positive features into products!

Features

Airbnb

As a host, I want to charge an "environment" fee (similar to how the cleaning fee works) which is used to buy carbon offsets, so that the CO2 generated by the stay is offset.
As a guest, I want to offset the CO2 of my stay and travel required to get to the destination, so that I can reduce the environmental impact of my trip.
As a guest, I want to donate to the community in which I am staying, so that I can help support those less fortunate and have a more positive impact.

Apple

As a user, I'd like the option to pay a higher price for hardware which is made from bio degradable or recycled materials, so that I can reduce the environmental impact of my purchase.

Amazon

As a user, I'd like to easily see how much CO2 was produced manufacturing a product, so that I can use this as an additional factor when choosing between products.
As a user, I'd like to easily see how much recycled material was used manufacturing a product, so that I can use this as an additional factor when choosing between products.
As a user, I'd like the option to offset the CO2 generated by the manufacturing of the product I'm buying or by the shipping or both, so that I can reduce the environmental impact of my purchase.
As a user, I'd like to trade in or recycle my previous purchases, so that these don't end up in landfill.

Facebook

As a user, I'd like the ability to fact check the content of a post or comment, so that I can inform myself and easily tell what's "Fake News" and not.

Google Maps

As a user, I'd like to easily see how much CO2 a particular route would produce, so that I can use this as an additional factor when choosing.

Google Search

As a user, I'd like the option to control the advertising I see, in exchange for these companies paying a percentage of the advertising fees to a charity / not for profit / NGO of my choosing.

Netflix

As a user, I want to see how much CO2 has been generated by my streaming, so that I can understand the environmental impact of my viewing.
As a user, I want the option to automatically offset the CO2 of my streaming with my monthly bill, so I can reduce the environmental impact of my viewing.
As a user, I want the option to purchase a plan which is hosted on carbon neutral or negative infrastructure, so that my streaming has an overall neutral or positive effect.

Uber

As a user, I want to see how much CO2 was generated by my ride, so that I can understand the environmental impact of my travel.
As a user, I want the option to automatically offset the CO2 of my ride, so I can reduce the environmental impact of my travel.

timothyclifford/positive-products