Our Story
We’re all consumers, and we’ve all been victims of unethical marketing, manipulated into choices which cause us harm
After business school, and entering the world of marketing, did we realize how powerful marketing is, in creating perceptions and shaping our lives
With great power, comes great responsibility
Unfortunately, such power has largely been causing harm to people and planet
And as victims, to prevent more people from being victims, and to advocate for greener products, AGB was born
Social Responsibility Standards
Before we talk about what's socially responsible and why it should be spoken about, think about what’s socially irresponsible. It’s causing harm to people and the planet.
And not only is the world filled with products which cause harm, these products almost never disclose or sufficiently disclose that they cause harm, preying on uninformed people, aka The Unknown Bad products
Or perhaps these products make fictional claims about some benefits, which in reality, don’t exist, or unproven or exaggerated, aka The Fictional Good products
As victims of such products, and to prevent more people from being victims, we need to talk about socially responsible products. Which is why we set up AuthenticGreenBrands.
At AuthenticGreenBrands, our mission is to help people identify, understand, and evaluate aspects of responsible and irresponsible products, and bring to light socially responsible products, towards better living.
If you’re wondering what socially responsible products are, we define them as products which are beneficial to society and environment; and honest - about their sustainability journey, benefits and harms (if any).
Yes, we all adore and admire products which benefit people and the planet, aka green products. Yet, not every product can be perfectly green. Those that are, are truly green champions.
Whereas, a large majority are green to some extent, and can be considered green warriors. You can be cruelty free, but maybe your packaging is not sustainable. Or perhaps you are still unhealthy, but less harmful than conventional products.
In other words, these products are much better in their sustainability practice than their industry standard. The contribution and existence of such green warriors is important, in providing alternatives. And we believe these unsung warriors also deserve to be promoted. Perhaps some will even be the green champions of tomorrow.
The challenge however, is products pretending to be greener than they are.
For example, are chocolates with less sugar, healthy chocolates? Absolutely not! They are still unhealthy, yet healthier than regular chocolates.
Similarly, a company on its way to reducing its harmful footprint, cannot claim it is climate positive. Or maybe a company has a new formulation and claims benefits, but have these been tested and proven?
And worst of all, a company claiming to be all natural, might not be so. This is where authenticity comes in.
A product with misleading, questionable, unproven, or unsubstantiated claims, and attempting to be called green, is likely engaging in greenwashing, and not the green warrior they want people to believe.
Bottom line, being authentic, and green, is what truly makes you a responsible product.
Yes you’re likely not perfectly green, but if you’re authentic, you empower people to make informed decisions, rather than being manipulated.
And how is it that we verify the authenticity of brands we feature? (This is the part about our claims and authenticity). At our current scale, we cannot directly audit claims of products we feature, or demand detailed disclosures from product owners.
However, we take care to rely on authentic third-party certifying authorities, which verify claims of products we feature. For example, PETA certifies products as cruelty-free or vegan.
And if we believe there is any reason to doubt a product's claim, or if any harmful effects are not being sufficiently disclosed, we refrain from featuring such a product.
We also look to actively influence product owners to improve and disclose their sustainability practices, and enhance their social responsibility standards.
In case you believe any of the products we feature are not in compliant with the above standards for social responsibility, please flag the product by contacting us at hello@authenticgreenbrands.com
Affiliate Disclosure
Our efforts to promote sustainable living are supported by affiliate partnerships. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission, at no additional cost to you.
Products are only featured on our site if they meet our social responsibility standards, regardless of compensation on offer.
AuthenticGreenBrands is not backed by any investors, who may want to optimize for monetary gains. It is fully owned and controlled by individuals for whom this is a social venture.
Commission generated is used to support and scale our efforts.
