Member Spotlight – The Good Rating

The Good Rating is one of the not-for-profits selected for the inaugural Subak Australia program. Based in New Zealand, the organisation is creating an app to rate the climate impact of all packaged food products sold in supermarkets in the country.

All products will be rated from A to F on a category-by-category basis in the hope to push manufacturers towards creating more sustainable models that minimise their carbon footprint, but also, change consumers’ behavior through better knowledge of their own direct and indirect emissions.

We talk with Kate Oktay, Co-Founder, about where they are at on their journey and how they are navigating the startup space as a new not-for-profit.

1.What is the story behind the Good Rating and how did the idea come about?

Well, it began through my frustrations as a consumer! I tried to do the right thing in my daily life, you know I compost, I recycle, but every day you look at the news and just get more and more depressed about the environmental crisis that is enveloping the world. 

You start to think, how can I look my child in the eye, when you know the payment for the life we are living now is her future, and her kids’ future? And, I think many people go to the supermarket and try to do the right thing- buying a product with a green label and ‘for nature’ on the front of it, but actually, sometimes this is actually supporting people who are burning the planet down… and charging a premium to do so.

I just wanted an easy way to be able to tell whether the product I was buying was destroying our planet, or not, so I could make the right choice as the consumer to buy that product, or not. And that’s where it all started!

2.How are you rating products and why do you believe this is the best system?

We are rating products primarily on their impacts on climate change, mostly on their carbon footprints. We’re rating ingredients and packaging, and I guess we’re just taking data that is there and is robust but is disparate and difficult to access and amalgamating it and putting it into something that’s easy for a consumer to understand easily and immediately.

We rate within category, so that means that for everything you want to buy: chips or muesli bars or cheese, then we tell you which is the worst and which is the best. We rate everyone, whether they want us to or not, and we make it free and available to everyone.

 
In terms of systems, our approach to this problem is appropriate for a few reasons. First, we are using quantifiable, widely accepted standards and metrics for our scores. Second, rather than inventing a new rubric from scratch, we're compiling and organising existing data into a more readily accessible form. Finally, we think it is the right approach because we commissioned a nationally representative survey that showed a clear demand for the sort of ratings that we're generating.

3.How have you found the process of reaching out to manufacturers for their carbon footprint?

Actually, I have mostly been pleasantly surprised. A lot of our kiwi producers over here are very keen to talk to us. They can see the value in what we do and they can see some of the things that they are doing often don’t get any kind of commercial payback for, so this is a way for them to show the market what they’re doing. It has been pretty good so far.

Some manufacturers have been reluctant, but I think it's just a matter of building up those relationships. We want to work with businesses as partners. 

4.What has been the greatest hurdle to overcome as a not-for-profit start-up?

Fundraising – we’re looking, in the next few months, to pitch to bigger investors but at the moment we’re focusing on gaining additional government funding. We would love to talk to anyone who wants to make a concrete difference and use markets and consumer behaviour to push industry and governmental change. We believe we can be part of the puzzle that helps reverse climate change. 

5.As a member of the Subak 2022 cohort, what has been the most beneficial experience so far?

Firstly, being part of Subak you really feel that you're part of that team; that they’re rooting for you and trying to support you as much as they can. It's been really great to feel like you’re part of a network rather than just a funder who gives you money and you write a report for. You really feel supported by Subak!

Secondly, there's been some really great seminars and people who have challenged my thinking and given me some really great advice as we move forward.

6.Apart from New Zealand and Australia, where do you see The Good Rating to have the most impact?

We would like reliable, unbiased food sustainability ratings to be all over the world – it’s an important part of doing the right thing for the planet –  consumers need to have a window into the products that they are buying, unlike right now where it’s very opaque. I believe with enough pressure, we can change the industry. Environmental damage needs to be part of the commercial equation.

We hope that this is something that we can extend to other countries. We would like to work with people and organisations to make this available everywhere!

To stay tuned about the Good Rating and their progress, check out their website: https://www.thegoodrating.org/