There’s a lot of emphasis being placed on consumer spending as a real way to
drive measurable impact in the fight against climate
change;
but for many everyday consumers, it remains one of the most confusing avenues of
action. There are dozens of
standards
and
certifications
to understand, along with a never-ending stream of data connected to purchases
(both good and bad).
That’s where the potential of consumer spending/emissions measurement app
Commons comes in. The app — which was launched
in 2020 as Joro and relaunched this March under its current name — allows
consumers to connect credit cards, bank accounts and other financial information
to a system that measures the emissions output of every purchase; and it offers
multiple ways to reduce impacts — whether through simple switches, more involved
spending transitions or via the purchase of verified offsets.
“We learned a lot about what people were actually looking for,” Commons founder
Sanchali Pal told Sustainable
Brands®, noting that the app began primarily as a carbon tracking and
offsetting platform. “It’s more about the spending choices we make — and that
this is not one person’s responsibility, but the collective’s.”
The app is only a few years old; and while the company doesn’t share full user
data, Pal said users are in the “tens of thousands.” Commons is currently
available in the US and Canada (with most users in the former), and
mostly used in large cities by the 25-55 demographic. So far, the app has
raised $13.5 million — the company says
investors include Sequoia Capital,
Norrsken, entrepreneurial platform
Incite, climate investors
Amasia; and the founders of Headspace, Fitbit,
Candy Crush and Nest; as well as public figures including actor Maisie
Williams, Incubus’ Mike Einziger and Arrive,
(the VC arm of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation empire).
Revelations in the data
Like a lot of tech companies and apps, the leverage is in the collected data —
and the trends and spending shifts that the data show. Commons’ demographic,
which is likely somewhat affluent (Pal shared that most users have a credit or
debit card), offers a small snapshot of how these changes can drive impact in
large, urban areas in the US and Canada. It also helps users understand the
realistic impact of their purchases.
“Something that people don’t realize is that the goods and services we buy also
have a footprint,” Pal says. “People are quite surprised by something like a
t-shirt and how that compares to the footprint of eating a burger, for example —
or how driving can have a similar footprint to buying makeup. Products and
services having that footprint is a novel idea for many people.”
Image credit: Commons
Pal notes that one area where the app is noticing a larger shift is in buying
secondhand.
The number of Commons users shopping secondhand grew 48 percent between 2021 and
2022; and Pal says content on the app and website associated with shopping “more
sustainably” for apparel is some of its most popular.
There are also broader shifts happening in the ways Commons users get around.
According to its 2022 Impact Report, 40 percent more
Commons users took public transit in 2022, compared to 2021; and users already
taking public transportation did so 75 percent more often. App users also bought
63 percent less gas than the average US consumer in 2022 and 36 percent less gas
than in 2021. Lastly, it’s no surprise that Commons users also use EV stations
at a high clip.
According to Pal, in 2022 the average user reduced their emissions by 20 percent
and saved $200 a month via all the app has to offer.
To provide realistic updates on the impact of a particular purchase, Commons
updates its data daily, monthly, quarterly or annually — depending on the
specific metric. Pal notes the example of gas prices, which the company analyzes
daily since the price per gallon regularly fluctuates; and the numbers Commons
uses also needs to reflect inflation and other economic movers. In other cases,
the movement isn’t enough to measure more than once every few months (for
something such as more expensive durable goods).
Education a key component
Almost anywhere you move inside the Commons app, there’s an opportunity to
learn. Whether it’s about the impact of taking one less flight or comparing your
footprint to those of other users; there’s no shortage of measurable, comparable
and, most importantly, actionable advice.
“Users may be looking for the kind of thing they didn’t know how to act on
before using our products,” Pal says. “They may have been interested in what
could have the most impact in their lives but didn’t know where to start. We
have found that folks who are quite educated (on sustainability) still find the
product useful.”
I was rather impressed by this once I linked up my own credit card and saw my
spending data populate through the app. The home page shows a graph estimating
the emissions output of all my purchases on that card in the current month and
compared to prior months of my choosing.
One of the app’s newest features is breaking down purchases under a “sustainable
purchases” category — which singles out specific purchasing categories such as
public transit, rideshare, renewable energy and more. Under Commons’
classifications, I make few “sustainable purchases” — which I’m not particularly
sure I agree with, but I would assume that category will continue to be refined.
I also appreciated a level of transparency and discussion around Commons’
choices of offsets. The company’s Offset
Portfolio operates under four
pillars, and users can take a rather deep dive into understanding the value and
impact of each offset under each pillar. Inside the app, I was prompted to pay a
certain amount each month to support these offerings (somewhat commensurate with
my estimated emissions output) — which, if I took the time to sift through all
of the information, I’d likely find a compelling way to reduce my personal
impact.
Of course, only having “tens of thousands” of users as the sample population is
ultimately a small slice of the entire consumer pool — but certainly enough to
potentially influence some changes within a certain, finally comfortable section
of the spending public. I could see myself making some small changes based on
seeing the data there in plain sight. Once you have the graphs and metrics
nicely laid out in front of you, it becomes clearer to see how the collective
impact in how and where we spend could make a big difference.
“One of the advantages of what we’ve built so far is that we can connect with
you no matter where you spend money,” Pal says. “Ultimately, we’re trying to
shift spending behavior and show how money
matters.”
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Geoff is a freelance journalist and copywriter focused on making the world a better place through compelling copy. He covers everything from apparel to travel while helping brands worldwide craft their messaging. In addition to Sustainable Brands, he's currently a contributor at Penta, AskMen.com, Field Mag and many others. You can check out more of his work at geoffnudelman.com.
Published Sep 1, 2023 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST