*By Chloe Aiello* A new platform is inviting politically progressive consumers to vote with their wallets. The Progressive Shopper platform is designed to educate left-leaning shoppers about political donations made by their favorite brands. The platform aggregates public records on campaign contributions made by companies and their employees, and then ranks the companies as "highly recommended," "OK," or "please shop somewhere else," based on their support (or lack thereof) for the Democratic Party. Progressive Shopper co-founder Mark Hanis said consumers have a right to transparency when they shop. "There is a huge amount of money involved in politics. Probably the next presidential campaign will cost upwards of $1 billion. And a lot of that is coming from corporations where we shop every day. So we do think there should be more transparency," Hanis told Cheddar on Wednesday. Because individuals are behind the products developed and the decisions made within any company, Hanis said his platform includes personal donations from employees as well as the corporate donations. The breakdown is available on Progressive Shopper's site and its browser plug-in. Only donations of $200 or more are in the public record. Hanis and Progressive Shopper believe the campaign finance process should be reformed, but until then, Hanis said: "This is the world as it is, let's try to inform our consumers, so they can shop along with their values." For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-new-platform-revealing-brands-political-contributions).

Share:
More In Business
Trump says Netflix deal to buy Warner Bros. ‘could be a problem’ because of size of market share
President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share. The Republican president says he will be involved in the decision about whether federal regulators should approve the deal. Trump commented Sunday when he was asked about the deal as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The $72 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
What to know about changes to Disney parks’ disability policies
Disney's changes to a program for disabled visitors are facing challenges in federal court and through a shareholder proposal. The Disability Access Service program, which allows disabled visitors to skip long lines, was overhauled last year. Disney now mostly limits the program to those with developmental disabilities like autism who have difficulty waiting in lines. The changes have sparked criticism from some disability advocates. A shareholder proposal submitted by disability advocates calls for an independent review of Disney's disability policies. Disney plans to block this proposal, claiming it's misleading. It's the latest struggle by Disney to accommodate disabled visitors while stopping past abuses by some theme park guests.
Load More