Free software plug-in for Internet Explorer shows users 0-100 score for a firm's green performance every time they scroll over its name
NEWS RELEASE
Customers of 650 of the world's largest companies can now get a daily reminder of those firms' green credentials with the launch of new software that allows web users to easily view a score out of 100 for multinationals' environmental record.
The plug-in from the Swedish IT start-up BadBuster means that users of Internet Explorer can see a pop-up window with a number rating of a firm's green performance every time they scroll over the company's name. The window is also displayed in green, yellow or red to instantly display the company's level of environmental performance and offers a link back to BadBuster's site, which shows the various reports the ranking was based on.
BadBuster says that the free downloadable software is currently in beta and shall and will be improved over time, with a plug-in for the Firefox web browser to follow and expected before the end of the year and other browser versions scheduled to be released next year. I cannot wait for the Firefox version as I do not use, for various reasons, Internet Explorer.
The ratings are based on an average score taken from various "reliable and independent" publicly available reports into firms' environmental performance, such as the Carbon Disclosure Project and Greenpeace's Guide to Greener Electronics.
The aim of the new functionality, BadBuster says, is to provide "a simple way for consumers to see how serious companies are about cutting their negative impact on the environment". In other words a tool that cuts through the greenwash, hopefully.
However, despite providing an easy way for consumers to check environmental reports on a given company, the approach is likely to face criticism for its simplistic approach to gauging firms' environmental performance.
Web tool offers instant insight into firm's eco-performance
