AI helps shoppers make greener choices

(Sept. 2024) Yasmine Abdu got the idea to start a new business when the local grocery store ran out of her favorite yogurt. Disappointed, she settled for a substitute – only to find she liked the new one even better.

“I thought, ‘We can encourage people to try sustainable alternatives in hopes that they find a greener option as their new favorite,’” Yasmine remembers thinking.

A chemical engineer by training, Yasmine was recently named a Fellow of the Generation Connect Young Leadership program. Generation Connect supports young people who propose projects to create a more sustainable future.

Yasmine became a GCYL Fellow after creating CarbonTrac, a software program that uses artificial intelligence to steer grocery shoppers toward more sustainable products.

“We’ve compiled data on growing methods, different types of packaging, product emissions,” she says. Based on those and other metrics, CarbonTrac assigns “traffic light” ratings of red, yellow, or green to each product based on how green it is compared to available alternatives. She has worked with data scientists to validate those ratings, and has some data scientists on staff.

Over the long term, Yasmine says, “We’re looking to ‘green out’ the supply chain and encourage people to make sustainable choices.”