With social entrepreneurism on the rise and various business strategies implemented to give back to those less fortunate, we explored ten of the top socially conscious businesses of 2017 to learn about how they are solving problems that improve the lives of others. This list has been compiled in conjunction with our friends from The Heart Series, the business conference that brings together organizations that put social goodness at the forefront of their business model.
STATE Bags
These ultra-sleek pieces are made by STATE Bags, a one-for-one, Brooklyn-born brand whose mission goes beyond selling cool and classic bags. Founded by Jacq and Scot Tatelman in 2013, the two created the company after watching kids carrying their necessities in trash bags at their nonprofit summer camp. For each bag sold, STATE hand-delivers a fully-stocked backpack to an American child in need at its signature bag drop rallies. STATE has partnered with Beyonce, President Obama's My Brother's Keeper Initiative, Roc Nation, The Honest Company, Twitter and more in donating tens of thousands of new backpacks to students across the US. Most recently STATE has built an ongoing content series to build on its charitable mission as seen through the #WhatDoWeTellTheKids Initiative. The core strength of these projects is to shift the narrative, and push the conversations we should be having, counteracting the negative by simply asking the question: "What do we tell the kids?"
Local + Lejos
Home décor brand Local + Lejos creates contemporary goods in partnership with global artisans, encouraging a home to be decorated with intention. From rugs to baskets to tabletop décor, the variety of items can be weaved into an entire home’s design. Local + Lejos currently employs 328 artisan women in 5 developing countries (Cambodia, Guatemala, Uganda, Mexico and Rwanda), focusing on sustainable employment, consistent work and fair wages. In addition to sustainable employment, Local + Lejos runs training programs around artisan development, community health, and financial management training. These programs are executed both by the company, and in partnership with our non-profit partners on the ground in those countries.
Cheeky
Since launching in November 2014, Cheeky has generated over 14 million meals through its give back program where for every item sold, Cheeky helps give a meal to someone in need right here in the U.S. The modern mealtime solution product lines (think beautifully designed plates, cups, utensils and napkins), all with a witty spirit, help to end hunger in the U.S. via partnerships with Feeding America and No Kid Hungry. And through design collaborations with millennial favorite lifestyle personalities Brit + Co and Whitney Port, the brand has the millennial market covered.
Cayetano Legacy Collection
Named one of Zappos’ ten emerging designers and sold in over 100 retailers across the country, in the UK, Australia and Japan, women’s statement jewelry line Cayetano Legacy Collection works with small communities of women artisans in the beautiful yet still third world country of the Philippines, to source and handcraft each product, enabling both the creation of jobs and economic growth in a part of the world it is still most needed. The company was founded by three Filipino American sisters who grew up seeing firsthand how their parents continued to do all they could to support their loved ones in the Philippines. This is the sisters’ small nod to their parents, to carry on with such a personal cause for them.
TOMS
While traveling in Argentina in 2006, TOMS Founder Blake Mycoskie witnessed the hardships faced by children growing up without shoes. Wanting to help, he created TOMS, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a new pair of shoes for a child in need. Now, TOMS hit an impactful milestone of helping to restore sight for 500,000 people through it’s One for One model. Recognizing the global need of 285 million individuals who are blind or visually impaired, TOMS launched the TOMS Eyewear collection to target global preventable blindness. For every pair of TOMS eyewear sold, sight is restored to one person. The brand works with 10 sustainable eye care organizations in seven countries, all of which are members of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. TOMS partners are trained, locally-based ophthalmologists and optometrists who provide a comprehensive eye exam for each patient.
This Bar Saves Lives
Founded by friends and fellow actors Kristen Bell, Ryan Devlin, Todd Grinnell, and Ravi Patel, the group launched This Bar Saves Lives with a simple motto, "Buy a bar. Feed a child. We eat together.” The company was born in 2013 when the founders traveled to Africa on a humanitarian trip and met children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, a heartbreaking condition that’s 100% treatable and preventable. Four years later it is now one of the fastest growing impact brands in the world. This Bar Saves Lives makes tasty snack bars, and for each one sold they give lifesaving food to a child in need. All bars are gluten free, dairy free, fair trade, Non-GMO Project Verified, and bee friendly. To date they’ve donated millions of food packets, helping to save the lives of thousands of children around the world.
Measurable Difference
Makeup and skincare line Measurable Difference’s founder and CEO, Helga Arminak knows how trying the world can be, as she was born into and grew up in a warzone, in Beirut. Both her family’s home and business were destroyed. When she came to the United States, she had nothing and had to rebuild her life again from the ground up, deciding then that when she got back on her feet she wanted to give back in a way that brought happiness and beauty to other people’s lives, now done through Measurable Difference’s partnerships with hospitals around the country that send in makeup artists to cancer centers and give makeovers to women that are going through various treatments but are longing to feel beautiful.
Marie Mae Company
For every set of stationery purchased, Marie Mae Company provides an hour of business training to a woman entrepreneur in a developing market. Each item purchased equals one hour of training at the Marie Mae Business School, which includes classes and training for entrepreneurs each year in an emerging market – such as Rwanda, which hosted the inaugural Marie Mae Business School in 2015. Armed with practical business skills – like public speaking, business planning, market research and contract negotiation – these individuals improve not only the quality of life for themselves and their families but that of their communities.
Bentgo
Launched to the public in March 2013, Bentgo, a modern alternative to food storage, was created around the company founders’ passion of living healthy lifestyles and eating right. Each BPA free, FDA approved lunchbox has various single size compartments, encouraging healthy eating throughout the day. In 2016 Bentgo began a partnership with nonprofit organization Feed the Children whose mission is to provide hope and resources for those without life’s essentials, to donate 5% of sales made on flagship products Bentgo, Bentgo Kids and Bentgo Salad, sold on Bentgo.com and on Amazon.com.
Bombas
Bombas was born out of a mission to help those in need. The brand officially launched in 2013 after its co-founders learned that socks were the most requested items at homeless shelters and so implemented a business model where for every pair of socks purchased, one was donated to a shelter. The socks provided to the homeless vary from the ones that can be purchased. For transients Bombas has engineered a sock to specifically meet the needs of people who don’t have the luxury of a clean pair of socks every day. Since then, 2 million socks have been donated to the homeless in less than four years. Bombas works with more than 600 giving partners across the United States to get socks on the feet of those who need it the most. In addition to standing by its mission, the company also stands by the product; these socks are designed to support athletes with its reinforced heels and toes and breathable material.