Buy Free

Inspiration

We're interested in using technology to combat modern-day slavery.

What it does

Based on online data, you can search for a product to find information about where it's produced in the world, whether it's produced with forced or child labor, and where you can buy the free trade product of it in that country (the stores that sell the product). In addition, the app includes background information about human trafficking and child labor information, and information about the sustainability certifications for that one country. Users are incentivized to buy fair trade products through the app since with each purchase they can enter a code that will get them further to special promotions or discounts that are exclusive to the app. Users can add reviews, recommend products to their friends, and add company suggestions to the company database.

How we built it

We used Android Studio and Java to create the interface and then used SQL databases and more Java to put the back-end data together.

Challenges we ran into

Most of the people on the team were not familiar with Android Studio and using external API's. So, we had to change ideas and methods halfway through the building process.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

New knowledge about fair trading and putting together in an app.

What we learned

We learned how to use Android Studio and the difficulty of parsing through online APIs. Also, we learned several data science tools such as scraping CSV files and using databases.

What's next for Buy Free

Add QR code or product scanning to find products that are similar to that but made with free trade. Also, we're looking to add a web extension so that the idea can be more easily integrated into other customers' shopping habits.