According to charity:water 663 million people in the world live without clean water. That’s nearly 1 in 10 people worldwide. Twice the population of the United States. Not only is clean water important for drinking , but also for sanitation. According to Water.org, 2.4 billion people – 1 in 3 – lack access to a toilet. Both of these stats are pretty alarming, but there are so many amazing organizations out there doing great work to combat these numbers. We as individuals and consumers have an important role and impact that we have the opportunity to achieve. We have the power to purchase a water bottle, a t-shirt, a coffee mug. These may seem like small purchases, but collectively they can have a massive impact.
According to the Thirst Project $25 can give one person safe, clean drinking water for the rest of their life!!! We have the power to make simple purchases that we will make anyway, so why not shift from the normal routine of buying products and take a few minutes to purchase something in a new way. Below is a list of affordable and cool social enterprise products that go directly to impacting and improving clean water ventures around the world.
Jerry Bottles – MATT BRUSHED STEEL METAL LID
100% of profits go straight into water projects around the world. If you look on the bottom of your jerry bottle you will see the coordinates of the water project you have funded, so you can trace exactly which village in which country your bottle is funding. There is currently a plastics patch 6 times the size of England floating in the pacific, where plastic outweighs plankton by 6:1. If we carry on, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Jerry sees this as an issue that is now solvable, but need people to switch from plastic bottled water to a more sustainable water bottle.
Conscious Step – SOCKS TO GIVE CLEAN WATER
Conscious Step is a social enterprise creating well designed socks to fight for global causes. In partnership with the some of the world’s most impactful organizations, each design contributes to a different global cause. In partnership with Water.org this specific pair provides 18 months of clean water to someone without this basic need.
Vivid Roots VR LOGO SNAPBACK
Vivid Roots is a social enterprise that gives clean water to those in need with every purchase. They teamed up with Rotary International to fund their first water project in Chiquimula, Guatemala. They are now continuing the partnership with multiple Rotary clubs & the non-profit Water For The Americas to implement sustainable clean water systems in developing countries. The team consists of four friends, all in their early 20s, from Boise, ID who decided to start a brand that embodied their fun and energetic passion for impacting the world in a fun way.
Thirst Project – Water Bottle, Bracelet
The Thirst Project raises awareness about the world’s clean water crisis by educating the public through school curriculum and local speaking engagements, public exhibitions and other events. They also provide service opportunities through travel and practical, on-the-ground experiences. To raise money, they accept donations and sell Thirst Project products when event appropriate. They promote informed giving and ensure that 100% of our profits are used to directly fund on-site projects providing clean water and sanitization.
charity:water – Camp Mug
charity: water is a non-profit bringing clean water to people in developing nations. In just over seven years, we’ve funded more than 13,000 water projects in 22 developing countries. When complete, these projects will provide clean, safe drinking water for more than 4.4 million people.
Proper Soap – Perfume
Proper is a cause-driven luxury bath & body line. Your Proper purchase makes Proper progress toward solving a critical world problem. Every Proper product purchased triggers a high-impact contribution toward dire-need hygiene and sanitation improvement programs. Every day, 1400 people die of unclean water-related diseases. Each death is 100% preventable. Simply put, washing with Proper Soap saves lives.
SoapBox – Shampoo
SoapBox is a for-purpose company with a strong social mission at its core. We aim to empower our consumers with the ability to make the world a better place through simple, everyday purchases. They use the buy one give one model to support their impactful business model.
For the domestic and relief bar donations, they partner with Global Soap Project, a nonprofit that collects hotel soap remnants and remakes them into new bars. Right now, 66% of total bar donations stay stateside at homeless shelters and food banks, so your purchase might help someone right in your backyard! For international bar donations, they work with smaller local organizations. Some of these organizations already have hygiene education programs in place and they simply provide the means to obtain soap in their local community.
Red Dirt Shop – Hoodie
Red Dirt Shop is a lifestyle company built to propel solutions to the most pressing challenges of the impoverished – water access, and employment. Red Dirt Shop provides contemporary, beautifully designed and curated fashion, while each item positively impacts someone else. WHEN YOU PURCHASE THIS HOODIE, YOU ALSO FUND ONE YEAR OF CLEAN, SAFE WATER ACCESS FOR SOMEONE IN NEED!
Related Post: Meet The Running Brand Devoted To Providing Clean Drinking Water Around The World
