Summary

Commons is a climate-focused personal finance app that helps users measure, understand their spending through a climate and sustainability view by analyzing everyday spending and lifestyle choices. By linking financial information, the company uses algorithms to estimate if the user is aligned with their sustainability goals associated with each purchase, giving the user a simple picture of how their money impacts the environment over time. (Source) Additionally, the app offers personalized insights, practical tips, and actionable guidance designed to help the user spend in ways that align with more sustainable and low-carbon living. The app features a directory of expert-rated sustainable brands and also includes collective challenges, rewards, and incentives to encourage users to make eco-friendly purchases or behaviors. The company also allows users to invest in vetted climate projects and supports broader environmental initiatives. (Source)

Story

Founder Sanchali Pal was frustrated that she couldn’t find tools that made it easy to track and reduce her carbon footprint. While she was a senior at Princeton University, a combination of an economics background and watching the documentary Food, Inc. sparked her interest in how everyday choices—especially around food and spending—impact the climate. Over many years she manually tracked her carbon emissions in a spreadsheet, cut her own emissions by about 30%, saved money, and realized that understanding the climate impact of daily decisions could be both empowering for everyone. Commons was born from the insight that managing one’s carbon footprint could be as easy as tracking one’s finances. (Source)

Pic credit: Commons (right) and Carbon Neutral (top)