We build GreenDex using a simple three-step method rooted in open-source science, data, and community. In other words, we want our users to be able to go beyond just using the project - we want them to be able to contribute to it, improve it with us, and really call it their own.
Based on research and data availability, we determine which metrics are the most important for us to track. Then we search for sources for that data. After verifying that each source we pull from is rooted in trustworthy academic practices, we add that metric to our platform.
We take a bottom-up approach. For each company, we first consider their results on each individual metric. Each of those metrics is graded from 0-100, and is weighted depending on their importance and category. These grades are then weighted and sorted again into higher categories, eventually culminating in E, S and G (Environmental, Social, and Governance) grades which together make up a company's whole grade.
The world is ever-changing. We aim to continually meet the needs of our community and so GreenDex needs to be ever-changing too. As such, we greatly value what our community says, what experts report, and what new technology and data we're able to incorporate. Based on all of these factors, GreenDex is constantly changing and improving.
We've chosen this accountability-based approach to give our grades and reporting value and trust. We don't want to just tell people what's right and wrong: we want to arm people with the best data possible so that they can make the most informed decisions for themselves. We share our facts and findings with the community, and the community shares their facts and findings with us. And we're all growing because of it.