I struggled to find an actual product to design so my mind turned to the whole process of shopping and consumerism. It is rare that you enter a store and are challenged about a purchase , generally you are encouraged by a salesperson to buy, buy ,buy. It seems that despite all our knowledge about the state of the environment rarely do we find anyone accepting accountability for what they produce and what they purchase especially at the selling point of a product.

Basically my system is a way for consumers to identify their own buying habits and to put forward what they want for the environment and society .Designers and manufacturers are given a direct communication channel to consumers to state what they feel they are doing for the environment, society and the consumer.

Part market research, part admission of guilt, part group hug.

The system would be independently regulated much like a safety standards body. Visually the tags used in the system put forth the bold statement "why buy" in essence questioning the need for the purchase at all. I admit I over consume and even purchase goods I don't really have a need for, if some of these purchases were challenged at the point of sale no doubt my environmental footprint would have been reduced, and that has to be a good thing.