Gifts that give: Seven companies that are making the holidays even more meaningful
Consumers want businesses to play an active role in driving social and environmental change. From socks and glasses to activewear and coffee, seven companies did an exceptional job of building social responsibility into their core mission.
Now more than ever, research shows that consumers want businesses to play an active role in driving social and environmental change. As a result, there were more options than ever this holiday season to gift with a purpose. From socks and glasses, to active wear and coffee, the following seven companies did an exceptional job of building social responsibility into their core mission.
- TOMS: While traveling in Argentina, Blake Mycoskie became inspired to help children without shoes. In 2006, he founded TOMS Shoes and pledged to donate a pair to a child in need for every pair purchased. Since then, TOMS has donated 95 million pairs of shoes and expanded its mission, delivering 780,000 sight restorations and 722,000 weeks of safe water.
- Bombas: After learning that socks were the most-requested items in homeless shelters, Bombas launched to donate a pair of socks for every pair purchased. Since then, Bombas has donated more than 29 million clothing items.
- Warby Parker: Like the “buy one, give one” pledges offered by TOMS and Bombas, Warby Parker has distributed over five million pairs of glasses, alleviating impaired vision around the world. They employ two delivery models: 1. training adults to administer basic eye exams and sell ultra-affordable glasses, and 2. directly giving vision care and glasses to school children, whose vision problems have been identified by their teachers.
- Patagonia: Calling themselves “the Activist Company,” Patagonia is one of the earliest examples of a corporation with giving etched deeply into its DNA. The environment has been at the top of Patagonia’s cause list for nearly 40 years. In addition to supporting grassroots organizations, Patagonia offers grants and support, pledging 1% of its sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment.
- Starbucks: Another retailer known for embracing corporate responsibility, Starbucks gives back a number of different ways. Starbucks Reserve coffees invest back into bean growing communities, while this holiday season, the Starbucks Foundation is matching consumer contributions to Big Brothers Big Sisters, United Way and Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization.
- Misfits Market: Today, almost half the food grown is never sold, while healthy food keeps getting more expensive. Misfits Market aims to minimize waste by offering produce that retailers don’t want – “ugly” but perfectly delicious fruits and vegetables – directly to consumers at 40% less than store prices. This also helps farmers find a market for food that doesn’t usually sell.
- Pampered Chef: If you purchase a wok to stir-fry your ugly vegetables from Pampered Chef, you can “round up” your purchase to provide meals to those in need. In fact, Pampered Chef has already raised more than $27 million this way for Feeding America.
At Pregis, giving back is in our DNA, too. Our Inspyre brand of packaging helps retailers protect products in transit while supporting the Uzima Clean Water Mission. So far, Pregis and its customers has helped bring clean water to more than 40,000 people in communities around the globe.
