{"id":62947,"date":"2024-05-08T17:36:15","date_gmt":"2024-05-08T15:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/?p=62947"},"modified":"2024-05-28T14:54:48","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T12:54:48","slug":"russia-sanctions-dossier-clear-conscience-hosse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/en\/russia-sanctions-dossier-clear-conscience-hosse\/","title":{"rendered":"An App against Authoritarianism"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Despite the war of annihi\u00adlation against Ukraine, many Western companies are holding out in Russia. Some do not feel affected because their products (food and medicines) are not covered by sanctions, while others want to keep their Russian profits and\/\u200bor hope that relations will soon return to normal. A German IT startup is working on an app that enables consumers to avoid unethical companies.<\/h3>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_message css=\u201c\u201d]This article is the third contri\u00adbution to a dossier on sanctions<\/a> that the Center of Liberal Modernity publishes in the run-up to its annual conference Russia and the West<\/em><\/a> on 15 May.<\/p>\n

A German version has been published on Russland verstehen<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

[\/vc_message][vc_column_text css=\u201c\u201d]By Felix Hosse<\/p>\n

The internet and social media empower individuals to exert influence in the fight against injustice and for ethical respon\u00adsi\u00adbility. Clear Conscience seizes this oppor\u00adtunity by enabling consumers to directly influence large corpo\u00adra\u00adtions with their purchasing decisions and make their voices heard.<\/p>

\"Felix<\/p>

Felix Hosse<\/a> is the founder of the Berlin-based EGO Institute, which is dedicated to promoting freedom and has been involved in aid deliv\u00aderies to Ukraine from an early stage. He is the managing director of Clear Conscience.<\/p><\/div>\n

The problem: Western companies that remain in Russia<\/h2>\n

Numerous Western companies continue to do business in Russia despite the brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. Through their tax payments these companies contribute to the state budget and to the war. Based on figures from 2022, the profit tax revenue from foreign companies in Russia amounted to 2.8 billion dollars, while the total tax revenue was estimated to be many times higher. This not only raises ethical questions, but also under\u00admines inter\u00adna\u00adtional efforts to contain the war through economic pressure. These companies\u2019 continued presence in Russia highlights a profound problem: the discrepancy between publicly proclaimed ethical standards and actual business practices.[\/vc_column_text][vc_message css=\u201c\u201d]Clear Conscience<\/a> uses a database of more than 3,500 companies. Because consumers often cannot identify individual brands, the app lists the companies behind them. Most similar apps only include a small selection of brands and never give alter\u00adna\u00adtives to problematic products, making them unattractive to consumers. Clear Conscience solves this by providing a larger brand selection and an AI-based algorithm that suggests the best alter\u00adna\u00adtives. The release of the browser extension and smart\u00adphone app is expected in June 2024.[\/vc_message][vc_column_text css=\u201c\u201d]<\/p>\n

Consumer power can hurt more than state sanctions<\/h2>\n

Although state sanctions play an important role in the global fight for a peaceful and just world, they have their limits. Many see them as signif\u00adicant infringe\u00adments on individual economic freedom, which must be well justified in a liberal democracy. They are often circum\u00advented. Most citizens are not directly involved in these measures so that they do not recognise what role they could play themselves. This leads to a \u2018crowding-out effect\u2019, in which individual consumers question why they should act when the (more powerful) state has already issued sanctions against unjust states. Many people are often unaware of the scope and effec\u00adtiveness of the sanctions.<\/p>\n

This is where the true power of private boycott is revealed. By delib\u00ader\u00adately avoiding products and services from ethically questionable producers, consumers can exert direct influence on these companies. In contrast to state sanctions, which can be easily circum\u00advented, companies are partic\u00adu\u00adlarly sensitive to the loss of market share and sales in their (Western) core markets. This is all the more important because the share of Russian business in the global turnover of most companies has been falling for years, even before the full-scale invasion. A well-organised boycott can therefore have an immediate and tangible effect.<\/p>\n

Giving consumers a public voice<\/h2>\n

This is where Clear Conscience comes in, offering a browser extension and a barcode scanning app that enable consumers to make informed purchasing decisions that align with their own beliefs and principles.<\/p>\n

Clear Conscience addresses a vulner\u00ada\u00adbility of private boycott behaviour: Companies often cannot quantify the impact of a boycott and thus cannot make business decisions based on their customers\u2019 specific prefer\u00adences. Clear Conscience aggre\u00adgates how much money was spent per brand with the compe\u00adtition and informs the company about it. In this way, we give consumers a public voice and enable companies to make informed business decisions. This makes it more likely that foreign companies will leave Russia and the Russian state budget will be weakened.<\/p>\n

An economy driven by consumer values<\/h2>\n

The medium-term goal is to minimise Russia\u2019s ability to wage its genocidal war against Ukraine. Every rouble that does not end up in Russian state coffers contributes to fewer Ukrainian cities being reduced to rubble and fewer Ukrainians dying. Clear Conscience makes its contri\u00adbution here in a concert that must also consist of state sanctions. However, our focus goes far beyond the current war in Ukraine. We strive to create a world in which every euro can be spent in accor\u00addance with personal conscience. The vision is an economy driven by consumer values and companies that recognise that acting ethically is not an optional extra but must be a funda\u00admental part of their business model.<\/p>\n

The way forward<\/h2>\n

By utilising the tools and infor\u00admation provided by Clear Conscience and other partners, individual consumers can make a difference. The decision to support or avoid certain companies is a powerful weapon in the fight against author\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adanism and for an ethical world. Clear Conscience thus builds bridges between ethical convic\u00adtions and everyday consumption.<\/p>\n

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Felix Hosse is the founder of the Berlin-based EGO Institute, which is dedicated to promoting freedom and was involved in aid deliv\u00aderies to Ukraine at an early stage. He is the managing director of Clear Conscience.<\/em><\/p>\n

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