Yellow Rose - Sustainability Assistant

The ultimate transparency tool: Paste a clothing URL to uncover its true impact, from carbon footprint to circular disposal guides. Shop smarter and give your wardrobe a sustainable afterlife.

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Inspiration

The "Yellow Rose" project was born out of the environmental necessity to bridge the gap between consumer intent and actual impact. Many people want to live sustainably but struggle with the cognitive load of calculating carbon footprints or verifying "green-washed" marketing. We wanted to create a tool that makes sustainability as intuitive as checking the weather.

What it does

Yellow Rose is an intelligent sustainability assistant that analyzes user consumption patterns to provide real-time ecological feedback.

  • Carbon Estimation: Calculates the Carbon Dioxide equivalent for the prompted clothing item.
  • Sustainability Scoring: Uses a multi-variable algorithm to rank products based on the VRIO framework (Value, Rarity, Imitability, Organization) from a resource-efficiency perspective.
  • Actionable Insights: Suggests sustainable alternatives available to the user if the item is low-scoring.

How we built it

  • Backend: Developed using TypeScript for high-performance data processing and algorithmic efficiency.
  • Frameworks: We utilized the Resource-Based View (RBV) to evaluate the long-term sustainability of various brands, ensuring our recommendations aren't just eco-friendly today, but viable for the future.
  • Frontend: Developed using HTML and JSON for UI/UX-friendly interfaces

Challenges we ran into

  • Dynamic incorporation of product's image onto UI (selectively works)

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Seamless UI: Created a clean interface that hides the underlying complexity of the VRIO analysis, providing users with a simple "Sustainability Index."
  • Localization: Tailored the assistant to recognize and prioritize resources specific to the regional area its ecosystems.

What we learned

We gained deep insights into the intersection of Business Strategy and Computer Science. Specifically:

  • How to apply the VRIO framework to non-traditional assets like "Environmental Capital."
  • The importance of algorithmic transparency. Users are more likely to trust a sustainability score if they understand the weighting of the variables involved.

What's next for Yellow Rose - Sustainability Assistant

The journey doesn't end here. Our roadmap includes:

  • Image Recognition: Implementing a feature where users can take a photo of a product barcode to get instant stats.
  • Predictive Analytics: Using time-series analysis to predict a user's monthly carbon footprint based on current trends.
  • Community Hub: Connecting users in the same geographic area to facilitate local "circular economy" swaps.
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