Our Top 9 Ethical Apps

When it comes to apps, no matter what type of technical assistance you’re looking for, there is literally “an app for that”. However, if you’re concerned about how the company behind your application operates, where their profits go and whether or not your use or purchase of their product helps others, you may need to dig a bit deeper. However, it is possible to find ethical applications to invest your time and or money in. Here’s a list of 9 apps that will help get you started.

Charity Miles

Staying fit is an increasingly important priority for those who want to improve their overall health. However, it can be difficult to find the motivation to get started and more importantly, stick with a new walking, running or cycling routine. Charity Miles allows users to “move with purpose”. Whether someone is running errands, walking the dog or taking part in a 5K run, they can help raise money for over 30 worldwide charities. Since its launch, the app has helped raise more than $2.5 million dollars. It is available for Mac OS and Android.

Givergy

This award-winning ethical app has helped users raise tens of millions of dollars for more than 1,000 charities. App users can dine with their favourite celebrities, buy luxury items, attend exclusive events or enjoy any number of other unique experiences by bidding in live auctions. About 80 percent of each successful bid’s cumulative earnings go directly towards a charity. In addition, both people and organizations can get the word out about their preferred cause or event to a seemingly endless amount of people, all with the click of a button. Best of all, it can be used by anyone, regardless of where they are in the world.

Foodbank App

Foodbank is designed to help food banks notify donors of the items that they need most. Individual foodbanks can even highlight items that they have an urgent need for so that users can be sure to have them in their donation. Ultimately, the app helps to improve community engagement by helping to raise much-needed awareness for local groups, charities, schools and religious organisations. The app can be used by any organisation in need.

Ankommen

Asylum seekers and refugees who suddenly find themselves in German may easily become overwhelmed by their new environment and all the new and unusual customs that come with it. The Ankommen app aims to smooth the transition for those newly arrived in Germany by providing online assistance for education and information about government processing procedures, vocational training, filing for asylum, local laws, and immigrant rights. The app can also be used to learn German, local customs and how to manage the day to day life. Both Mac OS and Android users can download it.

Buycott

This unique and multifaceted program takes ethical applications to a whole new level. Users can crowdsource the causes that are most important to them, exponentially increasing the visibility of their campaign and the chances of legislative action. With Buycott, barcode scanning technology allows users to find out about the ethical behaviour of the companies behind their favourite products. If people like what they see, they can get behind a brand and if they don’t they can start their own crowdsourced campaign to encourage companies to make better decisions. The app has been prominently featured on news networks like CNN and NBC.

Tree Planet 2

There’s no denying that mobile games are more extremely popular. However, with Tree Planet 2, you can now combine the fun of gaming with social activism. In the game, players must plant a new tree, tend to it and protect it from loggers who want to chop it down. For each new player, the company will plant a real tree and tend to it. According to the game’s creators, more than 500,000 real trees have been planted around the world in almost a dozen countries. The more people who play, the more trees are planted. The app is currently available for Android.

WeFarm

Connecting farmers around the world, WeFarm is the largest digital network of agricultural workers on the planet, with more than 500 million members. Vital information about crop management, animal husbandry and other challenges that farmers face can all be found with this app. This is especially important for those with limited access to tradition farming tools, markets, and investment opportunities. As many farmers in the network don’t have access to the internet, the application’s SMS capable communication platform allows them to communicate with others quickly and easily, without even having to leave their farms. This peer-to-peer farming network also aims to improve the quality of life for those who use it, particularly in the developing world.

Orange Harp

An early entrant into the world of ethical applications, The Orange Harp focuses on an often overlooked aspect of the fashion industry: slavery. The app aims to empower users with comprehensive information about the products so they can make informed decisions with their wallets. The company handpicks all of its products, ranging from personal care to apparel, to ensure that each good comes from a company or person with a high level of commitment to quality and social consciousness. Buyers know where their purchases come from and who made them. The app is currently only available for Mac OS devices.

HTC Power to Give

Advancements in the medical and scientific communities require a lot of computing power. This app helps mobile device users share their extra processing power to help fuel ongoing health research, develop more innovative environmental applications and benefit scientific advances. All users have to do is download the app, plug it in and connect to a Wi-Fi network before they go to sleep and the application will allocate the additional processing power to the organisations that need it the most. The app can be downloaded from the Android store but comes pre-loaded on most HTC smartphones.

There are so many applications out there that it can be difficult to find the one that’s right for you. But if you’re interested in helping social causes, the environment, doing well in your community or being a more informed consumer, an ethical application is a way to go. Best of all, there are plenty that you can use to really make a difference in the world around you.