In a world where consumers are increasingly demanding more from the companies they support, the following brands stand out for their dedication to making a real tangible impact. These companies don’t just talk about sustainability they live it, with missions that go beyond profits. Here are the top 10 companies making a real difference in the world today:
1. Patagonia: Leading the Way For Larger Companies – Sustainability can go hand in hand with business
Patagonia has long been a leader in eco-conscious fashion. From using recycled materials in their outdoor apparel to donating a portion of profits to environmental causes, this outdoor brand continues to demonstrate how business and environmental responsibility can coexist. Their commitment to sustainable practices is exemplified by their “Worn Wear” program, encouraging customers to buy used gear and trade in old pieces.
2. Clean the World: Redefining Waste and Sustainability
Clean the World is a global leader in environmental and social impact solutions. They aim to make the world a better place by diverting soap bars and plastic amenities that the hospitality industry would otherwise discard from landfills and recycling the soap into new bars. By doing so, Clean the World helps reduce pollution, save water, and decrease the carbon footprint of thousands of hotels globally, while helping improve the lives of women, children, and communities through donations to NGOs such as The WASH Foundation.
With over 8,300 participants in its Global Hospitality Recycling Program and more than 1.4 million hotel rooms processed daily, Clean the World has already diverted over 27.9 million pounds of waste from landfills and donated over 86.3 million bars of recycled soap since its inception in 2009. To learn more about Clean the World and its global impact, please visit Clean the World.
You can read a case study of their impact with Doubletree by Hilton Amsterdam Centraal Station here.
3. BambuuBrush: Changing the World One Toothbrush at a Time
Co-founded by Tommie Eaton and Rebecca Dudbridge, BambuuBrush is on a mission to combat plastic pollution. With over 165 kilos of plastic already prevented from entering the environment, this UK-based company promotes zero-waste lifestyles through its innovative products. BambuuBrush collaborates with leading brands like Virgin Atlantic, Lush Cosmetics, Chann el 4, and Suma to drive meaningful change.
Beyond eco-friendly toothbrushes, @BambuuBrush funds cleanup projects and educational initiatives, inspiring individuals and organizations to rethink plastic use and embrace simple swaps that create massive impacts.
Click here to learn more about how BambuuBrush is making a difference.
4. Who Gives A Crap: Turning Toilet Paper into Global Change
Aligned with Clean the World’s vision Who Gives A Crap’s purpose was spurred by the fact that roughly 40% of the global population do not have access to a toilet, this means that around 289,000 children under five die every year from diarrheal diseases caused by poor water and sanitation. That’s almost 800 children per day, or one child every two minutes. Founded with the goal of tackling this sanitation crisis, Who Gives A Crap donates 50% of its profits to help build toilets and improve sanitation in developing countries. Their commitment to sustainability goes beyond the product itself using recycled materials and sustainable packaging while ensuring that millions around the world have access to safe sanitation. Their approach blends humour with purpose, showing how simple actions, like buying toilet paper, can have a profound global impact.
Click here to find out more about Who Gives A Crap.
5. CTW Events: Sustainable Corporate Solutions
CTW Events, is a premier provider of fully scalable and customizable team-building experiences with a purpose. They help global organizations make the world a better place by facilitating high-energy impact events that result in not only the distribution of essential items, including hygiene, food, and school supplies, but also meaningful connections throughout communities.
Since its inception in 2012, CTW Events has distributed 6.3 million kits to over a thousand charity partners around the globe and supported over 237,193 hours of team-building participation. To learn more about CTW Events and its global impact, please visit CTW Events.
6. Sungai Watch
Founded in 2020 by Gary, Kelly, and Sam Bencheghib in Bali, Indonesia, Sungai Watch is a dynamic team of over 100 dedicated river warriors. Their mission is to prevent plastic pollution from entering the ocean by creating innovative solutions. Through the design of simple trash barriers and the operation of a comprehensive collection, sorting, and upcycling system, Sungai Watch has developed a scalable approach to combatting plastic waste. With a goal of installing 1,000 barriers across Indonesia’s most polluted rivers, the organization is expanding its impact globally, working towards a cleaner, more sustainable future. To date, Sungai Watch has collected 2,780,375 kg of plastics, installed 300 barriers, cleaned 260 villages, and organized 1,420 community cleanups. Learn more about their work and impact at Sungai Watch.
7. Ganni: Fashion with a Conscious Heart
The fashion industry is the second-biggest consumer of water and is responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions.
Ganni, a Danish fashion brand, is leading the way in sustainable luxury fashion. By using recycled fabrics, reducing waste, and promoting ethical production practices, Ganni is proving that fashion doesn’t have to harm the environment. The brand’s commitment to transparency and sustainability is reflected in its ongoing push to make eco-friendly fashion the norm.
Ganni includes sustainability objectives across environmental, social, material innovation and circularity; and their environmental goals include “50% absolute reduction in CO2 emissions by 2027 based on a 2021 baseline”.
Environmental objectives include: Directly investing in the local environment of their suppliers to promote biodiversity by 2025 In 2023, climate action remained one of their primary focuses at GANNI. With a new GAMEPLAN 2.0 strategy, they continue to map and measure our carbon footprint, opting for proven lower-carbon alternative materials and intensifying their focus on decarbonisation through their 7 by 27 strategy. Additionally, Ganni concentrate on carbon in setting, involving direct investments and collaboration with their supply chain. This includes implementing solar panels on factory roofs to reduce emissions. Ganni also initiated biodiversity projects with manufacturers to enhance the wildlife and biodiversity around the factories, and are exploring ways to scale up such initiatives.
Click here to read more about GANNI’s impact and sustainability goals.
8. Tony’s Chocolonely: Fighting for Fairer Chocolate
Tony’s Chocolonely is changing the chocolate industry by tackling the exploitation of cocoa farmers. With a mission to end child labour and forced labour in the cocoa industry, Tony’s produces chocolate that not only tastes good but does good. Through fair sourcing principles and a commitment to changing the supply chain, Tony’s is making a real impact in creating a more ethical and sustainable chocolate industry.
The chocolate industry suffers from an unfair distribution of value and power, where cocoa farmers, particularly in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, are exploited by large chocolate companies. These farmers are often paid so little that they are forced to rely on illegal labour practices, such as child and forced labour, to survive. This cycle of poverty and exploitation also contributes to deforestation. Despite cocoa from these regions making up 60% of global production, millions of children and adults suffer from labour abuses. Current sustainability initiatives by big chocolate companies are insufficient, often overlooking the need for change in purchasing practices. Tony’s Open Chain, in contrast, aims to increase its market share and hold the industry accountable, with a focus on fair, humane labour conditions and improving the entire supply chain.
Click here to read more about Tony’s impact.
9. Plastic Fischer
Plastic Fischer, founded in 2019 by Karsten, Georg, and Moritz, was inspired by the plastic pollution they witnessed in Vietnam’s Mekong River. They developed the TrashBoom, a floating barrier designed to collect river plastic, using low-tech, locally sourced materials. The invention quickly gained international attention, and by 2021, they had secured their first commercial customer, KNIPEX, and expanded operations to India and Indonesia.
Since then, Plastic Fischer has deployed 29 TrashBooms, collected over 1,200 tons of plastic, and created 88 local jobs. Their work has been recognized globally, including at the World Economic Forum, as they continue to scale efforts to prevent plastic from entering the oceans.
Learn more at Plastic Fischer.
10. 4Ocean: Clean Oceans, One Bracelet at a Time
4Ocean is a for-profit company founded in 2017 with a mission to remove plastic from the oceans. They sell bracelets made from recycled ocean plastic, and for every bracelet purchased, they remove one pound of plastic from the water. With operations in Florida, Haiti, Guatemala, and Bali, 4Ocean has removed over 40 million pounds of plastic from coastlines and oceans since 2017. Their transparency and commitment to cleaning the oceans make them a leader in ocean conservation efforts. To learn more about 4Ocean and how they’re cleaning our seas, visit 4Ocean.
