Introduction

The last two decades have seen the retail industry relying on digital advertising, and academics have devoted their attention to discussing the role digital advertising plays in digital marketing. Distinctions have also been made between digital advertising and marketing, with academics like Hackley and Hackley (2021) making the point that most marketing endeavours today are in fact digital. While the digital aspects, and particularly social media, have been tackled by social researchers, less attention is given to the extensive use of mobile technologies and applications, which allow consumers to discover, engage with, and ultimately experience consumption differently. For instance, innovative mobile applications (apps) provide a powerful means of connecting with customers, building deeper relationships, and encouraging a sustainable and collaborative consumption lifestyle (Pantano & Priporas, 2016).

Global environmental concerns and social challenges prove that contemporary economic systems need to change. We have witnessed efforts being made to introduce economic systems such as the “green economy”, the “collaborative economy” and the “circular economy” to reconcile economic prosperity with the safeguarding of natural capital (Costanza et al., 2015). The introduction of these new business models has challenged traditional business models where property rights, monetisation, and ownership were clear and precise. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) exchanges, for instance, offered promising outcomes for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while encouraging the more sustainable use of resources for consumers and app users. Such a neoliberal economic perspective on the collaborative economy has been commented upon by scholars, and we reflect on this later in the chapter. Scholars have adopted a critical outlook on the neoliberal economic practices that underpin the collaborative economy.

We have observed how collaborative consumption has radically transformed several industries, with examples of car sharing companies, food delivery services, where consumers are able to travel or get their food at affordable cost and in a personalised manner, leading to fewer cars on the roads, not to mention the reduction in consumption of fuel and other combustible energy. Other examples in the hospitality and entertainment industries can be found in Netflix and music streaming apps, which promote a collaborative consumption lifestyle. We need look no further than the temporary closure of physical retail spaces, the scarcity and grief which accompanied the pandemic, the ensuing global inflation of consumer goods prices, and the recession triggered by the war in Ukraine, forcing consumers to reassess and re-evaluate their shopping habits. All of these have led a great number of people to turn to more environmentally friendly choices, as well as to collaborative lifestyles that are centred on sharing, thrifting, and repair (Degli Esposti et al., 2021). The COVID-19 crisis and the ensuing problems of scarcities in various supply chains have accelerated these transformations of modes of consumption towards more ethical, respectful, and accountable practices, in line with a rise in sustainability reporting. Indeed, the pandemic has had a significant impact on several aspects of business operations, specifically making sustainability the focal point of business resilience. In short, companies that strategically integrate sustainability and transparency into their business operations using mobile technologies have helped consumers to embrace a more sustainable way of life, while boosting savings through the efficient use of resources and maintaining a duty of care for looking after the environment.

In this chapter, we discuss the extent to which mobile technologies have had an impact on the promotion of sustainable consumption practices in the context of online retail, with an emphasis on understanding the drivers motivating consumers to adopt sustainable digital consumption habits. We therefore explore and discuss the role of technology and social platforms in promoting (collaborative) sustainable consumption practices in the context of online retail. We identify what these practices are and what fuels them before explaining how these are meaningful for the future. We argue that technology constitutes a key driver of achieving a sustainable-consumption society and, more specifically, that smartphone technologies are enabling a social and sustainable consumption lifestyle.

Consumers, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, are socially conscious, pro-SDGs who want to discover new ways of consuming so as to benefit their health and the planet (Yamane & Kaneko, 2021). Smartphone apps support them in making ethical decisions and greening their daily life activities and practices in order to shape ethical consumption. Nowadays, consumers can change their attitudes and deliberately make a positive impact by downloading apps on to their smartphones in order to: (1) rescue meals and tackle food waste via the app called Too Good To Go, (2) respond to excessive consumption by selling and swapping pre-loved clothing in the virtual marketplace Vinted, and (3) participate in a consumer revolution for cosmetics that are safer for the environment and personal health using the app Think Dirty.

Theoretical Background

The digital devices and platforms utilised by consumers are both coordinated with and integrated into households’ everyday routines, supporting sustainable modes of consumption (Samsioe & Fuentes, 2021). Smartphone apps are designed to assist consumers in making informed ethical choices and greening their everyday practices (Fuentes & Sorum, 2018). These smartphone applications provide ways of informing, or to put it another way, of prompting consumer decision-making: They reinforce sustainable consumption and offer tips on transitioning to a more sustainable lifestyle. Digital tools foster environmental dialogue (Rokka & Moisander, 2009) and offer spaces within which people make sense of sustainability issues (Joosse & Brydges, 2018). Smartphones are high connectivity tools that are increasingly coming equipped with applications developed to engineer sustainable consumption practices and improve consumer awareness of global environmental problems. Such ideas have been discussed by Botsman and Rogers (2010) over a decade ago in their work on collaborative consumption and how this has changed the way we live. Since that time, we have seen the dramatic rise of giants like Uber, Deliveroo, and Airbnb, to mention just a few, who have changed the way we consume using digital applications. However, the initial promises and sustainability claims by the sharing economy (for instance, Uber’s non-sustainable policies) have generated conflict and tension from the consumer perspective. Nonetheless, the sharing economy is usually associated with sustainability, as it impacts upon the reduction of the resources being consumed, in doing so helping to reduce pollution, the carbon footprint, which constitutes a primary motivation for the consumer embracing the sharing economy and collaborative lifestyles (Boar et al., 2020).

Recent literature on the sharing economy sheds light on the utopian discourse and benefits of an economy that has largely failed to deliver the social benefits envisioned (to reduce greenhouse gases emissions, waste, and overconsumption), revealing the complexity of this economy (Schor & Vallas, 2021). Beverland et al. (2022) further discuss the contentious aspect of the sharing economy, which is horizontal and underpinned by the market logic. The horizontal characteristic denotes its competitive nature vis-à-vis the ownership economy, rather than providing a replacement for it.

The context of fast-developing mobile technology and the increased consumer interest in access to products and services, rather than ownership promoted by the sharing economy, is a central element for the circular economy model (Sposato et al., 2017; Lindblom et al., 2018). The social media applications platforms implemented by digital tools and services have provided the opportunity for communities to experiment with the potential of collaborative and sharing consumption solutions, strongly connected with circular economy strategies (seeking to keep the resources within a closed loop system) (Del Mar Alonso-Almeida et al., 2020). This sharing economy has changed the structures and models of its customers’ purchasing attitudes and needs.

What we are witnessing today is the use of digital solutions within more miniature elements of everyday life, where the clothes we wear, as well as the ingredients that go into the food we eat and the cosmetics we use are increasingly being determined by digital applications. These are evident in the sustainability apps that help consumers reduce food waste (Too Good To Go & Olio); promote thrifting (Vinted & Depop); enable the exchange of essential and luxury goods (Freecycle); verify the sustainability of items (Think Dirty & Giki); and reduce the carbon footprint (Strava).

The increasing prevalence of consumers sharing their experiences concerning food waste and thrifting on online social platforms cannot be overlooked. Consumers have become increasingly interested in expressing their orientations, desires, and motivations for participating in the circular economy using the digital platforms that are available in this space. Such consumption choices and lifestyles are fuelled by consumer commitments to frugality and ecological consciousness, or their forbearance towards materialism. This is further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and, to a larger extent, the rising cost of living crisis, both globally and in Europe, in particular, owing to the war in Ukraine. One important category of driver of sustainable consumption has been digital platforms that are geared towards encouraging a sustainable collaborative lifestyle. Examples here include mobile applications that are designed specifically to achieve instant gratification by engaging in certain sustainable lifestyles. Indeed, the adoption and effectiveness of apps like Too Good To Go, Vinted, and Think Dirty can be linked to the move towards a more intentional type of user design that encourages user engagement through social media advertising, while also pinpointing the pain points that consumers are faced with when making the decision to engage in consumption. Over the last decade, academics and commentators have discussed what has been shaping the sustainable consumption practices of the present. We contextualise these discussions using three case studies, that is, cosmetics, food, and clothing, derived from our research.

This chapter offers an overview of the collaborative models used in the most strategic and critical sectors (food, clothing and cosmetics), from a consumer perspective, to explore the extent to which digital applications may contribute to the circular economy and collaborative consumption. A qualitative study has been conducted for the purposes of this research, being discussed in the next section.

The Study

Our quest to understand how mobile technologies are shaping sustainable consumption lifestyles meant that we gravitated towards qualitative research methodologies. We conducted both personal interviews and a netnography to uncover how digital apps are embedded in the sustainable consumption practices of individuals. In particular, we employed a netnographic approach in order to research the users of applications such as Vinted, Too Good To Go, and Think Dirty over a period of two months. Our criteria for selecting participants for the study were based on these participants’ usage of the apps. In particular, we opted for people who used one or more of the apps (Vinted, Too Good To Go, and Think Dirty) at least once a week as we feel the participants in this category have a richer experience of and engagement with these apps. All the participants are experienced in using the app(s) as they have been users for five months minimum. The interviewees recruited were using at least one (or more) of the apps under investigation (Vinted, Too Good To Go, and Think Dirty) once a week, in order to discuss their past experiences of engaging with these apps. Once participant recruitment had been completed regarding the personal interviews, we started the netnographic research in parallel. Using both approaches, 15 users of digital apps that encourage collaborative consumption and support a sustainable lifestyle were selected using the snowball technique.

The netnography combined with personal interviews is believed to be a suitable method for obtaining an in-depth and culturally rich understanding of app users’ sustainable practices in a real-life context (Kozinets, 2020). More particularly, this method is suitable for finding shared behaviours, patterns of beliefs and values among the app users. This broadens our understanding of the insight gathered from the personal interviews. Social media provide a platform for day-to-day discussion of social practices, demonstrating individuals’ habits, experiences, and consumption habits. The netnographic research was conducted over a period of six weeks, drawing on a Twitter dataset covering the usage of the #Toogoodtogo, #Vinted, #Thinkdirty, and #Sustainableapps hashtags. Following Kozinets (2020), we documented the participants’ social interactions through the use of online observations, interviews, and data scraping. The interviews were recorded and were transcribed using the NVivo software. In order to preserve their anonymity, the interviewees’ names do not appear.

Guided by Miles et al. (2014), we employed a thematic analysis to piece together the phenomenon observed online and documented through in-depth interviews. This involved a coding process whereby the key emergent codes were identified across the data sources (netnography and interviews) in order to create congruence. The codes were then organised individually to identify axial connections. The researchers implemented a peer-coding system: They codified and exchanged ideas to generate a unified code system so as to maintain the trustworthiness and validity of the themes emerging from the data analysis.

The researchers agreed to the multiple coding of the excerpts, evidencing the interrelationship between the affordances of the apps, consumer motives, and a growing critical awareness of the circular economy. The following section presents the media apps which have an active role to play in a sharing economy and which motivate the consumer, while raising awareness of sustainable practices. Each case study is informed by our research findings, which consist of the participants’ narratives from interviews and online observations.

Discussion: Are Digital Apps Enablers of Sustainable Consumption?

Case Study 1: Think Dirty (Cosmetics)

We are witnessing the proliferation of clean beauty cosmetics products, and this is linked with what has been described as a conscious consumer beauty trend, which we refer to in this chapter as post-organic beauty cosmetics. By post-organic, we mean that the trend has become generally associated with an era in which consumers no longer consider organic beauty cosmetics as niche products. Increasingly however, products are expected to adhere to certain requirements, which are central to their safe use on skin. In the early days of the organic consumerism movement, there was a certain wisdom around the organic products first appearing in the marketplace, and we can think of products like Body Shop and Lush, to name a couple. It seemed at the time that these products would change how we consume cosmetics, and that the early producers of such ethical products would stay at the top of the chain. However, the massive explosion in the consumption of organic products has meant that this trend is no longer niche in certain respects. Our findings reveal that consumers have many options, struggling to understand how to make choices and hold brands accountable for some of the potential toxins forming part of the ingredients used to make these products. Consumers are increasingly becoming frustrated with the regulatory oversight of the activities of cosmetics companies, with app users exposing that the clean cosmetic trend, or the beauty industry as we know it, is here to stay. What has changed, however, is consumer consciousness regarding cosmetics: Consumers are developing an appetite for questioning, boycotting, and calling for better regulations and transparency on the part of the producers of cosmetics. This is where mobile applications such as Think Dirty are making their mark.

This app was developed on the back of cancer research, and in response to calls to address the long-standing issues surrounding the lack of regulation of the activities of cosmetics manufacturers. Operating within the sustainable reporting space, the app is instrumental in helping consumers make rapid and informed, as well as socially and ethically responsible, choices. With an army of consumers concerned about the ramifications of their consumption choices and lifestyles, Think Dirty makes it easier for users to stay on track during their sustainability journey. A key feature of the app enables users to scan both their existing and new products to determine their ingredients. It also lets users add and update information on products that are yet to be categorised. As such, the app can provide information about the chemical content of products, in doing so alerting users to some of the risks and potential health impacts of the ingredients of both organic and non-organic cosmetics. In short, the Think Dirty app equips users with the technology to check the composition of cosmetic market offerings while simultaneously forcing brands to be transparent and accountable in this digital age when greenwashing is rampant. It also provides companies seeking to stay relevant and attractive to their customers with the opportunity to champion their commitment to the values crucial to the conscious-consumer beauty trend.

While there are numerous advantages to Think Dirty, in terms of encouraging and demanding sustainable consumption practices from stakeholders, concerns still remain with regard to the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in its database. There have also been criticisms relating to the potential risk of mental health issues resulting from user exposure to the ‘false’ claims and ‘wisdom’ sometimes propagated on platforms like Think Dirty. Our investigation of users of the app revealed some positive reactions to its use. Of course, some consumers are quite critical of what Think Dirty offers, with one user who has a medical research background suggesting that the information was mis-calibrated, marking relatively innocuous substances as toxic, and this user even went as far as to label the app ‘fear mongering’. Our research participants raised issues centred on the lack of transparency as regards how the toxicity ratings of certain products were determined, or what the increments on the app communicated regarding the relative risk of substances. Furthermore, it was not uncommon for users to express their dismay at how Think Dirty labelled all the products it owned as hazardous, showing no willingness to surrender these items due to the cost of their procurement. Some scepticism was felt by our participants regarding the beauty box subscription Think Dirty Box, with this mainly being perceived as a sales and marketing tool for the brand.

While many of these criticisms were informed by empirical research, some responses from these users appear to be based more on a rejection of the inconvenience that would be caused to them if they changed their consumption behaviour. This raises a more general issue around the role of apps in encouraging sustainable consumption lifestyles. If the objective of the app is to steer people towards more sustainable activity, it will then be possible that comprehensive disclosures might have the opposite effect. Indeed, it is well recognised in the psychological literature that, in order for goals to be motivating, they must be achievable: Goals which are perceived to be unachievable can be demotivating (see Locke & Latham, 1990; Latham, 2003). This is true to an extent, and we can, of course, reflect on people making unrealistic New Year’s resolutions, only to give up on them during the first week.

Case Study 2: Too Good to Go (Food)

The rationale behind Too Good To Go is to help businesses stay in contact with their customers in order to sell them surplus food and drink from pubs, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, hotels and producers in order to stop food being wasted. Users can download the app and search for businesses with unsold food items that are available within a specific radius. Parcels of food purchased via the app, termed Magic Bags, are available to collect during a specified timeslot. While apps such as Just Eat, Uber Eats, and Deliveroo can be practical in that they allow people to order and consume food immediately, Too Good To Go users, on the other hand, prioritise purchasing from socially responsible companies in order to reduce food waste and buy at a great price, directly from these businesses. Users of the app are active agents of their sustainable consumption: They rescue a Magic Bag, collect it, and enjoy surplus food at a reduced price, rather than using delivery services to get food delivered straight to their door.

Food waste is increasingly being recognised as a critical issue, and being included in the political agendas of a growing number of countries around the world. There is a need for policies and regulations on the international level aimed at reducing food waste: The Too Good To Go app is driving this change, helping to move current practices closer to sustainable food systems. Styled as a food app with an environmental conscience, it currently operates in 12 countries—Germany, France, the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway and Austria.

Improving consumer understanding of food expiry labelling has been the main focus of Too Good To Go, guiding consumers in better judging whether or not food is safe to eat. In aiming to change consumer habits, app users are invited to remember the pictogram “Look, Smell, Taste, Don’t Waste” in order to reduce food waste. Users are encouraged to sense-check food rather than throw it out when its expiry date has been exceeded. While “use-by” dates are about safety, “best before” dates are about quality and should prompt consumers to refrain from automatically disposing of food. In Europe, expiry dates cause 10% of all food waste because many consumers are not aware of the difference between the two expiry dates. The confusion between the “use by’‘ and “best before” dates plays an important part in the amount of food that is disposed of by households.

While the app addresses topical issues regarding food waste, issues that are putting our planet under enormous strain, it also has some drawbacks, which have been raised by our research participants and netnographic data. Users of Too Good To Go have expressed frustration at not being able to choose the content of their ‘magic bags’, or not being given any indication of these bags’ size, quantity, or items. However, there is a thrill accompanying the discovery of the contents of a Magic Bag, likened to treasure hunting by users and contributing to the attractiveness of this form of consumption. Nevertheless, the random selection of food provided poses some problems for users with certain allergies, or specific dietary requirements. There are also the problems associated with participants receiving too much food, which could then ultimately end up in the bin. Other problems mentioned by users include cases where businesses add food items of poor quality (especially fresh vegetables and fruit) to Magic Bags, items that cannot be consumed. Some greedy businesses also include items that are out-of-date in a bid to clear their stock, thus leading us to question who the winner is in using this app … These practices unfortunately spoil the ethos of Too Good To Go by taking advantage of customers and charging them for poor quality food, causing them to waste this food rather than save money.

Too Good To Go has saved over 29 million meals and avoided the equivalent of more than 72,000 tonnes of CO2 (Condamine, 2020). It is undeniable that the app is making a positive step towards using up food that would otherwise be wasted. Technology helps in encouraging sustainable practices and saving food from waste: However, it is essential to raise the fact that, if users run out of battery, they will not be able to show proof of purchase on their smartphones and thus not be able to collect their orders.

Case Study 3: Vinted (Clothing)

The Vinted application has established itself in a fast-growing market of second-hand goods. This is a sector that is attracting more and more consumers, encouraging them to be more responsible in their consumption, while also providing an outlet for fashion lovers. The peer-to-peer marketplace and the second-hand fashion community are experiencing growth, recording more than 1.3 billion euros of transactions during 2019 (Lunden, 2019). Unfortunately, a market of this size has received little attention in academic research focusing on collaborative consumption. The sector has been growing steadily for several years and has proven resilient to the COVID-19 crisis, as consumers have been mindful about both their spending habits and the health of the planet. The second-hand market is primarily focused on apparel goods and is estimated to reach a turnover of more than 50 billion euros by 2023.

This mobile app was originally known for the sale of clothing items: However, the online marketplace has now geared up for the sale of many other items. Users of Vinted can sell shoes, bags, accessories, beauty products, textiles, home accessories, and tableware. More recently, updated versions of the app, for UK consumers, have further enhanced the user experience by expanding the number of categories to include entertainment and pet care, where you can find video games, games, puzzles, music or books, as well as pet-related products for dogs, cats, small pets, fish, birds, or reptiles.

Signing up to the app is a speedy process: It only takes a few minutes after choosing your username and verifying your number. Users of the app have noted the ease of browsing through listings and adding products to their favourites folder for potential future purchases. The transaction is completed when the buyer receives the item and confirms that ‘everything is ok’ on the app, with the seller then getting paid shortly after. A key benefit of Vinted is that buyers are always protected, which means that if they encounter an issue, for example, an undelivered or faulty product, it will be easy to get a refund. Vinted makes its profits from the buyers rather than the sellers, and this makes the app appealing to people wishing to declutter their spaces. The Buyer Protection Fee is a compulsory fee amounting to 5% of the item’s price, added by Vinted to all purchases to protect users. Our data reveals that users can maximise their chance of selling by adding a short bio to their profiles describing who they are and what they are selling, as well as why. Sellers can share personal information in order to have more success and create trust between themselves and the buyers. Our investigation of Vinted users has revealed that it offers them an easier platform on which to buy and sell their clothes, making second-hand fashion a seamless process.

Previous players in this space, such as Leboncoin and eBay, which also enable users to sell their unwanted clothes and buy replacements, are now holding a secondary position in media users’ hearts. Vinted has demystified the complexity of user-to-user second-hand shopping by not charging a penny to list or sell items in their marketplace. Another main difference compared to Leboncoin and eBay is that users must list items for auction within a specific timeframe. If the product is not sold, users will need to pay to relist their items at a later time. This is not the case on Vinted, as there is no end-date and no seller fee, so users can keep their items listed online until these are sold, or removed from the app by the seller.

The Deloitte report the New Digital Divide shows that individuals who use digital devices while shopping in-store spend more than those not using digital devices (Lobaugh et al., 2016). Digital apps such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat provide a new window where influencers display certain lifestyles. Through this phenomenon, we can witness consumers being attracted to an excess of consumption that may undermine sustainability. This idea has been reflected by some Vinted users, who argue that the practical and fast interface of the app pushes them towards compulsive buying. The Vinted shopping experience requires less effort than shopping in-store, with its low prices and low shipping costs further encouraging users to make frequent purchases. Besides, parcels being shipped internationally calls into question the eco-responsible side of Vinted, and its attention to ecological policies.

Conclusion: Towards more Sustainable Consumption

Scholars have encouraged the transition back to slow fashion whereby consumers alter their habits in order to ameliorate the long-term sustainability of the fashion industry (Niinimäki et al., 2020). Thankfully, businesses and brands have turned to technology as a force for changing consumer habits and lives for the better, and we have seen this in the three case studies discussed in the chapter. Our investigations of users of the digital apps promoting sustainability, discussed in this chapter, provide some evidence that a customer-centric approach can improve the customer experience of using apps, while leveraging the principles of the sharing economy and collaborative lifestyle are continuing to create value for the community. Individuals are therefore able to turn to apps for sustainable living in order to make a positive impact on a global scale, but also in order to save time and money, and to protect the environment.

In this chapter, we acknowledge the pivotal role of digital technology in changing customer experience and behaviour (Pantano & Priporas, 2016): Nonetheless, we are also opening up a dialogue around the use of digital technologies seeking to promote sustainability and, more specifically, the activities of apps such as Vinted, which could be counterproductive. The circular model of Vinted, for instance, may offer a solution for reducing the need for further clothing production while benefiting our planet. However, investigating the app, together with the views of its users, has caused us to raise several concerns. Firstly, while reselling is forbidden on Vinted, if you take a closer look at certain Vinted seller profiles, it could be argued that some sellers buy items with the intention of reselling them on the app for a profit. This raises ethical issues as regards how the app is being used, in contrast to its mission of “accelerat[ing] the transition from a take- make- waste economy towards a circular fashion economy” (Vinted, 2022). Secondly, the users’ main motive in connecting with the Vinted app is not sustainability, instead often being financially related. This convinced us to question how the app could develop a feature that merges the sustainable incentive with the financial benefits of using it.

Notwithstanding critiques of the reliability of these digital applications, when users of the Think Dirty app were confronted with information suggesting that substantial elements of their consumption behaviours and possessions were hazardous (and so unsustainable), the change in behaviour required to address this situation was apparently experienced as overwhelming; as unachievable. Thus, rather than this information prompting drastic changes in users’ lives, they became demotivated, choosing to reject the information entirely and abandoning that course of action. What is implied by this observation is that digital technologies intending to promote sustainability by targeting behavioural changes may also alienate users by advocating radical shifts in lifestyle. What we should see, both now and in the future, should be messaging which promotes more incremental changes in behaviour as this is likely to have more success when these changes are perceived to be achievable. Such findings were reported by Loock et al. (2013), whereby the goal-setting functionality of a website-based (or in this case mobile app) interface inspired users to reduce their energy consumption. In particular, they showed that default goals had an indirect effect on energy consumption by exerting an influence on goal choice, but also that self-set goals were most effective in influencing behaviour—a point already made early on in the discussion of the role of user design in encouraging the adoption of apps and the promotion of a collaborative lifestyle. In short, then, there is a need to listen to app users’ voices so as to collect insights and constantly innovate the user experience in order to ensure that sustainability is the common driver.

Finally, the pandemic has taught us to rely on each other and to think carefully about how we consume. Rising energy prices combined with food shortages and prices have now made the potential scale of the impact on business, and society more broadly, a top priority. Future generations interested in sustainable fashion, travel, food, and shopping will require companies not only to develop digital technologies, to tackle problems of sustainability, but also to ensure that the way in which these digital solutions are set up is not exploited, leading to more inequalities and a less sustainable life. Thankfully, several ethical companies with moral values have already taken a step towards developing useful applications for protecting the environment.