This article was submitted by Toni Oberto.

What you’re not getting out of men dressed in fruit costumes singing about underwear, you will get out of PACT. PACT http://www.wearpact.com/ manufactures men and women’s underwear that is fully sustainable from production to delivery. The product starts at an organic cotton factory in Turkey. It’s then adorned in vibrant and bold designs with inks and dyes that meet or exceed GOTS and EKO standards. Before long, it’s delivered in a reusable fabric bag. And with 10 percent of all proceeds going to notable non-profit partners, it’s a smart choice for holiday presents.

What started as an idea light bulb in the minds of then Berkeley classmates, Jason Kibbey and Jeff Denby, has become a social movement and collaboration of designers, business partners, organic cotton farmers and nonprofit organizations. “We’re committed to seeing business as a part of positive social and environmental change. This business is an extension of our personal values,” says co-founder Kibbey. His and Denby’s socially responsible underwear concept became a reality when it caught the eye of designer Yves Sebhar during a product development course at Berkley. “Yves said if you can raise the money, I’d love to design for your product,” Kibbey says.

After seeing the first design in 2008, Kibbey knew it was a go. Sebhar has now designed four unique and fun lines for PACT and its participating organizations. Each print is tied to a specific cause: 826 National, Oceana, Forest Ethics and Global Green USA.

826 National assists and tutors students ages six to 18 in writing skills. Headquartered in San Francisco, 826 National now has centers in seven US cities. Founded by author Dave Eggers, the centers provide drop-in writing assistance for youth, free of charge, to encourage strong writing skills and future success.

Oceana is the world’s largest organization devoted to ocean conservation. In an effort to restore and protect the nearly 70 percent of our world covered by oceans, Oceana integrates marine scientists, lawyers, advocates and economists to campaign for policy change, reduce pollution and protect ocean life.

Forest Ethics commits its time and energy to forest and wildlife conservation, primarily in North America. Forest Ethics has helped protect more than 65 million acres of endangered forests. As an early believer in PACT, Forest Ethics signed up early to support Denby and Kibbey in any way possible.

Global Green USA is an international organization geared toward a sustainable future. Global Green is the American arm of Green Cross International, which President Mikhail S. Gorbachev created to foster a global value shift toward a sustainable and secure future, by reconnecting humanity with the environment.

Now, after thousands of dollars in donations, a carefully sculpted supply chain, and one incredible pair of undies, Denby and Kibbey have created a well-fitting, beautiful product that helps change the world one behind at a time.

“The most important step [as consumers] is trying to understand where the product is coming from. If you can’t find out where products came from or how they were made, you should really consider buying elsewhere,” Kibbey says of sustainable consumerism. “We value transparency. Our factory name is on the product itself. PACT is made in the least impactful way possible.”

With such high quality doing so much good, it’s hard to not try PACT underwear. Customers can choose from a variety of colors, patterns and styles. Or pick by cause. Whatever your method, PACT underwear wants you to rethink the way we purchase the things we need.

NEED readers can enjoy 25 percent off a purchase of PACT underwear by entering the coupon code NEED25.

PACT 826 National Oceana Forest EthicsGreen Global USA Green Cross International

Ingenuity, determination and a little bit of luck has marked Alicia Polak’s trajectory from a business student to founder and CEO of a for-profit, community-enriching enterprise in South Africa — Khaya (Xhosa for “home”) Cookie Company. Simply put, the company was founded to “create opportunity one bite at a time,” teaching the skill of baking gourmet cookies while providing gainful employment to the impoverished residents.

While pursuing a MPH/MBA at New York University, Alicia’s dream of holding a leadership position at an international aid organization prompted her to pursue an internship at the UN. There she worked with Gay Rosenblum-Kumar, who specialized in conflict resolution and had helped prepare South Africa for its first democratic election. Her exposure to South Africa intrigued and excited Alicia to create and enroll in an exchange program with University of Cape Town, where she interned at Freeplay Foundation. Working on the issues while traveling within the country exposed and endeared her to the people, and to the dark history of South Africa, a country she began to call her own. After working for an investment bank in New York and a year as an employee of Freeplay Foundation, she was ready to start something new.

In 2004, inspired by the mission of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company to create and redistribute wealth, she founded Khaya Cookie Company in the town of Khayelitsha, with one Xhosa-speaking worker and a single recipe for chocolate chip cookies. In two years, the company grew to employ 10 workers and as a successful supplier of gourmet cookies to high-end establishments throughout South Africa. The cookies are made using unique South African ingredients such as rooibos extract with recipes for a variety of fruit flavors. In keeping with her community-building mission, the company was sold to the locals in 2005 and Alicia stayed on as the CEO. In 2006, working with the Wharton Societal Wealth Program, a University of Pennsylvania business school initiative, she founded the US-based Khaya Cookie Company, and has focused her efforts on setting up the US distribution center and expanding marketing efforts.

Today Khaya Cookie Company employs over 500 South Africans (95 percent of whom are women), is a major supplier within South Africa and is sold worldwide through its website and the gourmet retailer Zingerman’s. In 2007, it was recognized by the Food Network as the Edible Entrepreneur of the Year. But the company does not measure its successes through commercial profits alone. One of its more tangible successes’ is the positive changes it has brought to the lives of its employees. One way they have enpowered lives has been through the comprehensive life skills training that its production facility offers every employee.

Vanesca, a 25-year-old single mother solely responsible for her daughter and disabled mother, joined the team with little prior experience. In addition to baking cookies, she enrolled in the first-aid course offered by the Life Skills Training Program, where she discovered her love for nursing.

In addition to the first aid course, the program teaches health and safety (including AIDS education), business skills including management training, and personal finances management; and the younger staff members are strongly encouraged to pursue higher education. Andiswa, the youngest employee at the company, is now in her third year at university with Alicia’s encouragement. Read the rest of this entry »

Though its mission remains the same, RugMark, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting ethical carpet production by eliminating the use of child labor in India and Nepal, is slated to launch a new brand, GoodWeave, this fall. RugMark will remain the organization’s name while the brand name will be replaced by GoodWeave.

April Thompson, director of marketing and communications for RugMark’s US office, made it clear that RugMark will remain focused on eliminating child labor, but the organization is expanding its reach to improve adult worker conditions and to institute progressive standards for water and air pollution. “There were multiple reasons to make the switch [to GoodWeave]. We’re strengthening the work around child labor as many of these issues are interconnected,” says Thompson. “We can only make progress on these issues in collaboration with our industry members, and they are very supportive of these changes, and excited to see the program expand.”

Providing workers and children with adequate childcare and schooling effectively prevents children under age 14 from entering the handmade rug industry. A percentage of each certified rug purchase supports RugMark’s programs in weaving communities, including educational programs for former child laborers. If inspectors find child laborers working on the looms, they rescue the children, attempt to reunite them with their families, and offer the children the opportunity to attend school, while the manufacturers forfeit the right to use the RugMark label.

Aside from the expanded scope of improving conditions for workers in Nepal and India, the new GoodWeave label is more aesthetically pleasing. Thompson says that the new label has a “more contemporary look and name to complement the beautiful rugs. All members are embracing the new look and the other changes the brand is undergoing.” The brand name “GoodWeave” does not include a specific product in the name because RugMark is interested in potentially expanding its branding to other woven products such as shawls made in Nepal.

Importers of all products certified by RugMark must register all of their looms and are subject to random inspections by Rugmark inspectors. According to RugMark’s website, its inspectors visit an average of 64 looms per day, resulting in a total of 16,000 looms inspected per year. Both exporters and importers must be sign agreements with the organization, and pay a small fee that offsets the costs of both inspections and community programs.

One of the main goals of GoodWeave is to make the process of becoming a member more rigorous and transparent, relying on a multi-stakeholder committee for critical input. In order to achieve this goal, GoodWeave has become an associate member of the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labeling Alliance (ISEAL), an organization that focuses efforts on international standard-setting for organizations focused on social and environmental issues. Thompson notes that becoming a member of ISEAL was a rigorous, three-year process to become a member of ISEAL.

“We’re the first ISEAL member to tackle some of these issues, namely working with child slavery in an informal sector where workers are very vulnerable to abuse. We look forward to strengthening our operations with ISEAL’s guidance,” says Thompson.

GoodWeave
RugMark
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Working together, nonprofit Krochet Kids International (KKi), buy-one-give-one shoe store TOMS and sports retailer Active Ride Shop held the third annual Give benefit concert on July 18 at the Irvine Spectrum Center in Irvine, California. With live music by VOiD808, Crash Kings, Pawnshop Kings, The Daylights, and Dustin Kensrue of Thrice, it was an event for the books.

The 1,500 attendees supported KKi’s economic development programs and TOMS Shoes’ donations through the suggested $2 entry donation, more than $3000 in Krochet Kids product sales, and two murals and fifteen mannequins by Rock Harbor Artists to be auctioned at a later date. The Give event will make a lasting impression not only through raising funds but also through raising awareness of poverty in Africa. “All of our profits go back into the program in Northern Uganda. They pay the woman’s wages and implement programs that we have in place to enrich their lives and their families’ lives,” says Brad Holdgrafer of KKi. The program is designed to provide a reliable salary and to empower participants toward future independent entrepreneurship. It currently aids ten women in Northern Uganda who meet to crochet hats and other wares daily.

TOMS Shoes sold 300 pairs of customizable shoes, which translates into 300 pairs of shoes donated to children in need. “It was incredible to see three separate companies all with a heart to help people, working together and all with a good spirit,” says Holdgrafer. “The vibes were good, the people were good, the bands were great and the art was phenomenal.”

This Saturday, August 1, KKi is holding a benefit party in Seattle, Washington at the BoConcept design and furniture gallery from 8 to 11 p.m. Expect music by DJ duo Wulfpak, discount sample sales, contests and dancing. Considering how well the Give event went, no one in Seattle should miss this one.

Krochet Kids International
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This article was cross-posted from (BLOG)RED.

(RED) was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver to raise awareness and money for The Global Fund by teaming up with the world’s most iconic brands to produce (PRODUCT)RED-branded products. A percentage of each (PRODUCT)RED product sold is given to The Global Fund, to invest in African AIDS programs, with an emphasis on women and children. Members of the (RED) community are doing amazing things to inspire friends, family, co-workers and neighbors to take action and exercise the power of (RED). Here’s one story that takes the concept of shouting (RED) from the mountain top to a whole new level…. Read the rest of this entry »

ensuring academic success

Giving of their intellectual capital, Deloitte works with multiple nonprofits to aid in the organization’s efficiency. Barry Salzberg, CEO of Deloitte & Touche USA and CECP member, says this is achieved by “layering our contribution so that it includes not only cash but also pro-bono work, skills-based volunteering and board leadership, as we are doing with College Summit, we can really make a difference.”

A high school senior attends a College Summit workshop in Washington DC. photo | courtesy of College Summit Read the rest of this entry »

Thirty-five CEOs and Chairpersons from leading companies gather at CECP’s “Board of Boards” conference. photo | courtesy of CECPIssue 03 | Cooperation
Writer: Stephanie Kinnunen

“A spirit of philanthropy must be present at all levels of the company, starting with strong leadership at the top.”

Corporations are some of the most powerful institutions in the world. Using their abundant resources, they can have a significant affect on people in need. By assisting nonprofits, they prove that corporate philanthropy is not merely a gesture to humanity; it is a business strategy that changes lives.

In 1999, with the help of actor Paul Newman, The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) was founded on the belief that corporations could have a positive impact on the world. CECP is the only international forum of business CEOs and chairpersons pursuing a mission exclusively focused on corporate philanthropy. For a corporate giving program to be truly successful, “a spirit of philanthropy must be present at all levels of the company, starting with strong leadership at the top,” states Charles Moore, executive director of CECP. Read the rest of this entry »

*Marc Benioff launched the Salesforce.com Foundation

Marc BenioffSalesforce.com was started with a simple idea to make business applications as easy to use as a simple website. It was our mission to spark what we termed “The End of Software” revolution—the opportunity to democratize the industry by changing the way software was delivered (online, or as-a-service). That wasn’t the only thing we wanted to do differently, though. We also had a vision to ignite an “End of Philanthropy” movement—and create a new corporate philanthropic model that would be easy for all companies to embrace and ultimately effect positive change.

Our idea was built upon the best corporate philanthropic practices of other companies—Hasbro, eBay, Levi Strauss & Company—and led to what we called the integrated model. We started from the very beginning by incorporating the Salesforce.com Foundation as a 501(c)3 public charity from the time we first incorporated our company. Alongside private funding, we placed 1% of the new corporation’s shares into the Foundation. As CEO, I made the commitment to donate 1% of our product to nonprofit organizations, and 1% of employee working hours to community service. The 1/1/1 Model—equity, technology, and employee time—ensured that as our business grows so would our contribution to the communities in which we operate. Read the rest of this entry »

Bill Austin fits a child for hearing aids in Delhi, India. Photo | Andy RichterA collection of photos adorn the walls of the world headquarters of Starkey Laboratories, a “leader in the design, development and distribution of comprehensive hearing solutions.” The wall display showcases a mix of celebrities, politicians and others who have captured our imagination for years. Among them are Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Ozzy Osbourne, Dolly Parton, Hugh Hefner, Paul Newman and Mother Teresa, to name a few. These individuals, who have seemingly little in common, share space on the wall because Starkey has fit them with hearing devices.

Starkey, however, has not made a name for itself by only fitting those in the public eye. Through the company’s foundation it has provided more than 240,000 hearing aids to individuals worldwide in need since 2000. Read the rest of this entry »