How Kelkoo helps you become a more ethical consumer

In this article, you will discover how Kelkoo helps you become a more ethical consumer by selecting products based on certifications like GOTS, Fair Trade, and EcoCert, and our ongoing efforts to improve transparency and support ethical brands.

Why become a more ethical consumer

How to become a more ethical consumer

How Kelkoo can help you become a more ethical consumer

What makes an ethical product for Kelkoo ?

What makes an ethical brand for Kelkoo ?

How does that work under the hood ?

Why become a more ethical consumer

Every purchase you make is a powerful statement about the world you want to create. Opting for brands with a positive impact on society, the environment, and animal welfare is a small but necessary steps to lower our collective ecological footprint on planet Earth. From choosing green energy to supporting Fairtrade products, every decision you make counts.

Embracing the journey of ethical shopping is not just about avoiding the negative, but championing sustainable, positive change with every purchase.

How to become a more ethical consumer

Embarking on the path to ethical consumerism is easier than you might think, and it can have a profound impact. When shopping you should:

Consider if you truly need that new gadget or fashion item; often, less is more.
Embrace repairing, reusing, or upcycling instead of discarding items - a trend that's not only eco-friendly but also creative. Opt for pre-loved items from second-hand stores or flea markets to reduce waste and save money.
Support local businesses;it strengthens your community, as they often source and operate locally, keeping more money within the community.
Look out for trusted certifications like Organic, Vegan, Fairtrade, and Cruelty-Free labels that assure ethical standards.
Boycott brands that don't align with ethical practices.

Each small step you take is a stride towards a more ethical and sustainable world.

How Kelkoo can help you become a more ethical consumer

As a company that's been at the beating heart of e-commerce since its inception, we believe we have a role to play to better inform consumers and promote more sustainable and ethical choices. This materializes as a curated collection of products that aim for a smaller ecological and societal footprint.

We know that not buying is always the most sustainable choice. However we want to guide consumers towards the right choice when they need to buy an essential item. Additionally, we're sending a clear message to our partner merchants: embracing ethical practices is not just an option, it's an obligation to a better future.

Transparency is key in this journey and we're open about our selection process, which we'll explain next.

What makes an ethical product for Kelkoo ?

We go through our huge product database and labels ethical products, based on the following logic:

Ethical attributes	Details
Organic	One or all of the following Has certification(s) such as GOTS, EcoCert, EU Organic Farming, etc Does not contain GMOs
Fair Trade	The company/suppliers manufacturing the product has a social certification such as SA8000, Cotton Made in Africa, FairTrade, Fair Wear, Goodweave, etc
Environmental Friendly	One or all of the following Has certification(s) such as bluesign, Respondible Down Standard, Cradle-to-Cradle, etc Is made from a more sustainable option than virgin materials made through conventional manufacturing processes (e.g., Tencell Lyocell instead of Virgin Rayon) Is free of harmful substances (BPA, PFCs, etc)
Recycled material	One or all of the following Has certification(s) such as Global Recycle Standard, Recycled Claim Standard, etc Contains recycled materials such as Recycled PET, Ocean Bound Plastic, Recycled Silver, etc
Vegan & Cruelty-Free	One or all of the following Has certification(s) such as PETA, Leaping Bunny, Vegan Society Approved, Responsible Down Standard, etc Contains materials such as Vegetable-tanned leather, Vegan leather, etc
Second-hand & Refurbished	Reconditioned and Refurbished products
Energy-efficient	Has Energy Start certification
Water-efficient	Has Watersense certification
Support Good Causes	Has certifications such as 1% for Planet
Eco packaging	Has recycled packaging or packaging uses sustainable materials
Locally produced	One or all of the following Produced in Europe Local sourcing of raw materials
Handmade	Created or crafted by an individual using manual skills, often showcasing unique characteristics, craftsmanship, and detailing as a result of being made by human hands rather than by automated processes or machines. Items labeled as handmade may have minor variations from one piece to another, as each item is individually produced.

What makes an ethical brand for Kelkoo ?

We don't rank ethical brands ourselves. We highlight brands that demonstrate a drive willingness to improve their process and change their business model.

We rely on publicly-available data such as:

communication materials regarding sustainability practices and achievement (publicly available data on brand websites)
rating information from well recognized certifications (such as Fashion Revolution)
Certifications and accreditations like Fairtrade, Cradle to Cradle, OEKO-TEX Made in Green, the Global Organic Textile Standard or the Responsible Wool Standard
We also cross our information with rating services such as GoodOnYou, Project Cece or Ethy.

Based on that information we then give labels to brand, based on the following logic

Ethical attributes	Details
Leading Ethical Brand	A trailblazer in ethical practices, this brand sets the standard in its industry for responsibility, sustainability, and ethical operations.
Advancing Ethical Brand	Actively improving its ethical practices, this brand is making significant strides in adopting more responsible and sustainable business methods.
Emerging Ethical Brand	In the initial stages of its ethical journey, this brand is starting to embrace sustainable and ethical practices, showing promise for future development.

How does that work under the hood ?

Every day we receive millions of offers from our partner merchants.

Our internal system then processes all offers, looking at their title, description and key characteristics. The system tries to match that information with a list of keywords that we've built. This list includes ecolabels, brands known for their ethical credentials and a list of relevant ethical keywords.

Our system is largely automated - Given the sheer volume of offers - millions, changing multiple times daily - manual review isn't feasible. However, we do have some human oversight to filter out undesirable offers, and we're constantly refining our matching algorithm. Our aim is to automate as much as possible, so we can offer the highest number of ethical choices to our users.

We rely on information from our partner merchants and public data from brands. - It's up to them to provide reliable details. Wherever possible, we guide users to independent third-party ratings of brands to complete the information provided.

We are continuously improving - We're learning and improving as we go, acknowledging our mistakes and making enhancements. It's a basic feature for now, but we're dedicated to developing it further each day.