Los Angeles-based conscious consumerism community marketplace, Miigle+, is at the intersection of artificial intelligence, ecommerce and social impact. With its AI-driven chrome extension browser, Miigle+ recommends ethical alternatives to consumers from anywhere they shop online and directs them to ethical brands. Miigle+ enables shoppers to buy according to their values, using proven technologies that make it easy to discover, browse and buy from the largest database of ethical brands, with convenience, choice and confidence. Today, the marketplace hosts over 2,000 ethical brands across 12 categories, including kids. CWB speaks to Miigle+ founder Luc Berlin to learn more.

 

Laura Turner: What’s the story behind Miigle+?

Luc Berlin: In 2003, while studying biochemistry, I participated in a research study led by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, the University of Mali, the World Health Organization, and the National Institute of Health in Bamako, Mali, which was developing a vaccine against Malaria. Through this experience, I was deeply touched by the global impact people can have by solving local problems. This planted the seed for Miigle+. A few years later, I began to explore how to bring Miigle+ to life in a way that was relatable to most of the population, which is consumption. After the success of brands such as TOMS and Honest, and as their customer, I wanted to find more social good or sustainable brands to adopt as part of my lifestyle. This process proved a lot more difficult than anticipated because no searchable directories or marketplaces existed dedicated to sustainable, ethical and/or social good brands. This led me to experiment with the concept of Miigle+, which was launched on Earth Day 2022.

LT: What’s the platform’s USP?

LB: From its inception, Miigle+ was created to provide a smarter (through an AI-powered recommendation engine that can suggest sustainable brands while shopping on any website) and easier way for consumers to discover and shop from sustainable brands that are aligned with their social and environmental values; all whilst creating a dedicated and cost-effective channel for sustainable brands to have access to socially conscious consumers. Miigle+’s marketplace allows people to shop according to values such as Fairtrade, Women’s Empowerment, B Corp certified and 100% organic cotton, plus other causes. The value of the platform is also intended to go beyond shopping, allowing consumers to see the impact of their purchases, learn about sustainability through various types of content, earn rewards and be part of a community.

LT: What categories does the marketplace cover?

LB: Miigle+ covers Kids, Accessories, Clothing, Shoes, Gifts, Jewellery, Beauty, Electronics, Food, Health, Home and Pets. It currently has 75 brands under its Kids category, with products ranging from clothing and shoes through to toys and health/body care.

LT: Are you looking to attract UK kids’ brands to Miigle+?

LB As a global platform, we welcome brands from anywhere in the world, including the UK. Our aim is to provide a global perspective to consumers wanting to shop sustainably while also allowing them to find and support brands within their countries and neighbourhoods. The UK is a key market for us given the high level of interest from consumers towards sustainability. We would love to provide as extensive a sustainable UK kids’ brands directory as possible. What’s significant and exciting about becoming the largest marketplace for AI-driven sustainable shopping is giving people a massive array of choices, thus enabling consumers to buy according to their values; a new lifestyle phenomenon in consumerism. We are helping change the paradigm of consumerism by facilitating a new movement of buying from brands that are committed to sustainability, not just selling products.

LT: How does a brand join Miigle+ and what criteria does it need to meet?

LB: There are two ways brands get added to Miigle+. One is to get curated and added by a member of our team, and the other is to fill out a simple form on our website that is accessible here. The form submission is reviewed by our team, and if approved, the brand is added to our directory. The criteria for approval are simple and straightforward. We look for verifiable information that the brand provides about its social or environmental impact. For example, how they make their products, the type of materials they use (organic, Fairtrade etc.), how they treat their employees (paying fair wages for instance) and what causes or organisations they support, such as B Corp certified, 1% for the Planet and any other charitable organisations.