[Image: courtesy Unilever]
advertisement
advertisement
Over the last decade or so, people have become increasingly interested in where their products come from and whether they align with their values. Starbucks customers can trace their coffee back to the farm where it was grown; Patagonia will tell you where its Better Sweater fleece was made.
advertisement
advertisement
But what about toilet paper? A new ad campaign is hyping a start-up called Flush, that wants you to know which old growth forest you’re wiping with.
OK, not really. Flush is, thankfully, completely fake. But the campaign is from a real toilet paper start-up called Cloud Paper, which makes TP and paper towels out of bamboo. Launched in 2019, Cloud Paper has an impressive list of backers, including Marc Benioff, Mark Cuban, Robert Downey Jr.’s FootPrint Coalition Ventures fund, Ashton Kutcher, Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Oseary, Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, NFL star Russell Wilson, and C
How Who Gives A Crap’s unique model steers growth, decisions and led to bumper revenue in 2020
8 minute Read
How can you compete with some of the most established companies in the world that have the advantages of scale, advanced supply chains, and brand recognition?
Toilet-paper manufacturer Who Gives A Crap offers a lesson in profit-for-purpose, and how companies can sell on a different value proposition when they put sustainability first.
In a world where some consumers put ethics and impact over price
, you can learn a lot from Who Gives a Crap.
Last year, the social enterprise donated $5.86 million, after increasing its March 2020 revenue by 1100% from the year before. So, what enabled Who Gives A Crap to hit such high targets?
(Credit: Arli)
Arli, an addiction support platform based in Sydney, has raised $1.9 million (AU$2.5 million) in seed funding; proceeds will be used for its expansion into the US early next year.
The seed round was led by Folklore Ventures and venture capitalists such as Antler, AirTree Ventures and Simon Griffiths of toilet paper maker Who Gives A Crap.
WHAT IT DOES
Arli, which has yet to publicly launch, offers free coaching and support to people who are experiencing any type of addiction at all stages of their recovery.
Having the option to stay anonymous, users can subscribe to a one-on-one coaching service or join a group of 25 peers who are facing similar challenges. The platform also offers resources such as in-depth audio lessons, expert advice, and recovery stories.
Bonus Episode: Charitable Crowdfunding
April 13, 2021
A new report examines how crowdfunding fits into the larger philanthropic landscape and perceptions of crowdfunding by both crowdfunding donors and non-crowdfunding donors while also looking at charitable behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study,
Una Osili, Ph.D., is associate dean for research and international programs and Efroymson Chair in Philanthropy at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. “One of our big questions around 2020 is that in addition to studying how donors were giving, we were also looking at how philanthropy was changing during the pandemic,” she said. “What is very clear is that crowdfunding now is an important part of the philanthropy landscape and that is likely to continue going forward.”
YBF Ventures
Melbourne (13 APRIL 2021): In response to the economic, societal and employment challenges that the world faced, and primarily Victoria in Australia in 2020, YBF partnered with the Victorian Government to launch the YBF Startup Immersion Program (SIP)––a first-of-its-kind pilot program in Australia aimed at upskilling experienced corporate professionals with entrepreneurial roles and capabilities.
At the time of launch in October 2020, the program was overwhelmed with applications––with over 500,000 people having been displaced from their jobs as a result of the pandemic in Victoria [source: IBISWorld] and a further three million Australian workers looking for a post-COVID-19 career change [source: ING Future Focus Report].