Behind the brands: Six brilliant charity collaborations

We love chatting to the social enterprise founders in our community, delving into how they got into the #socent world and what it’s like running their brand. (Flick through past Q&As in our blog archive, if you’re as nosey as we are.)

These entrepreneurs often start with a problem they’re passionate about solving, like reducing food waste or ending gender inequality. Sometimes their products are part of the solution – think juices made using surplus fruit. 

But in many cases, it takes teaming up with like-minded charities to make their full impact possible. While the brands raise funds and awareness, charity partners are usually the ones on the ground providing services or lobbying for change. 

As we get into the season of charitable giving, we want to celebrate some of the brilliant charity collaborations from our brands and the immense impact they have. These six partnerships show the strength in coming together – read on to feel inspired. 

LUX LUZ and S.T.O.R.M

LUX LUZ describe their vegan, eco-soy and beautifully scented candles as “self-care that gives back.” The brand’s name means light in Latin and Spanish, chosen because each candle represents hope for women affected by domestic violence who find themselves in hopeless situations.

With around one in four women in the UK experiencing domestic violence, co-founders Anna Ling and Sophie Arup wanted their candles to have an impact locally. So, they looked for charities on their doorstep working in the sector. 

This led them to S.T.O.R.M Empowerment, a family centre in their London suburb of Wandsworth, providing services such as counselling, a nursery, IT workshops, employment advice and training. 

S.T.O.R.M also runs art therapy classes for survivors of domestic violence and it’s these that profits from LUX LUZ candles help fund. The partnership has also given them the opportunity to make a more hands-on impact, as Sophie and Anna were invited to host their own candle-making workshops. 

These classes and workshops help women tap into their creativity, grow their confidence and self-esteem and also meet people with shared experiences, all of which are important for building a better future. 

Ocean Bottle and Plastic Bank

On its own the Ocean Bottle is a stylish, top quality reusable bottle, which helps reduce your personal plastic use. But a partnership with Plastic Bank has made it a vehicle for much greater impact in the fight against plastic pollution in our oceans. 

Plastic Bank is an innovative organisation improving waste management infrastructure in coastal communities around the world. They create ethical recycling ecosystems. 

Local collectors save ocean-bound plastic. They then exchange what they collect for bonuses that enable social mobility, like tuition, healthcare and tech goods. Meanwhile, the discarded plastic is sent off for recycling into new products. It’s a win-win for local people and the ocean. 

This efficient, socially beneficial collection model is a long-term solution to plastic waste. And with 22 million kilograms of plastic entering our ocean every day, we definitely need more of those. 

When it comes to the impact this collab has, the stats speak for themselves. For every Ocean Bottle sold, the equivalent of 1000 plastic bottles are collected and in 2020 alone, the brand funded the collection of 1,139,949 kgs of ocean-bound plastic. 

Toast Ale and Feedback

It’s no surprise that Toast Ale collaborates with environmental charity Feedback. They were started by the same campaigner, Tristram Stuart, and share the same mission: to fix our wasteful food system.

The main way Toast Ale advocates for a better food system is in their own brewing process. They use surplus bread, one of the most wasted foods in the UK, to create their craft beer range. 

But they also give all profits to charity partners, the main one of which is Feedback. Through this partnership, Toast supports their campaigning and advocacy work for a more sustainable food system. 

Always finding new ways to collaborate, Toast Ale and Feedback also teamed up on the Rise Up series. This was a range of beers brewed in collaboration with other B Corps ahead of COP26, to highlight the ecological crisis and why changes to the food system are needed.

More recently, Toast also launched the Companion Series in time for COP26, their greatest collab to date. It’s the result of bringing together 25 fellow breweries to raise money for the Rainforest Trust UK and Soil Heroes. Shortlist have even named it the best craft beer advent calendar – which we think is a great idea.

Have a read of our deep dive into the Companion Series for more on the impact it’s having. 

Boundless Activated Snacking and FRANK

Aware that it takes a lot of water to grow the nuts and seeds in their flavourful snacks, Boundless Activated Snacking decided partnering with a water charity was the perfect way to give back. 

Part of their profits go to fellow Bristol-based organisation Frank Water, who fund safe drinking water and sanitation in remote and vulnerable communities in India and Nepal. So every time you enjoy their snacks (which are delicious, FYI) you’re helping get clean water to those who need it. 

Founder Cathy Moseley’s personal experience of growing up on free school meals also inspired another charity collaboration. She understands just how much a good school meal can mean to kids and the difference it can make to mood and concentration. 

With this in mind, Boundless Activated Snacking also teamed up recently with Give. Help. Share., a charity gives children nutritious food, feeds families and delivers education about food in the UK. For every case order placed with Boundless during this summer school holidays, a week’s worth of gut healthy snacks went to a child. 

Elvis & Kresse and The Fire Fighters charity

When Elvis & Kresse started making sustainable luxury accessories from decommissioned fire hoses, saving a perfectly usable material from landfill was the main goal. But co-founders Kresse Wesling and James Henrit (AKA Elvis) realised they could do even more good through a charity partnership. 

They decided to donate 50% of profits to The Fire Fighters Charity, which provides specialist, life-long support for members of the UK fire services community. Their most recent yearly donation was their largest ever – an incredible £66,977.30. 

That looks like 500 in-person physio sessions, 500 virtual physio or psychological therapy sessions and exercise therapy sessions, 500 essentials food boxes and 1550 sets of PPE for therapists for The Fire Fighters Charity. 

Kresse has described how the partnership has created a truly virtuous circle: “Firefighters rescue us, we rescue the fire-hose, and the proceeds help to rescue firefighters and their families in their time of need.”

SEWN and Flourish NI

Here’s a charity partnership that came about slightly differently. SEWN is actually the social enterprise arm of Flourish NI, a charity supporting survivors of human trafficking. In the UK in 2020, over 10,000 individuals were referred into the National Referral Mechanism as potential victims of human trafficking, showing how important and necessary their work is. 

SEWN raises funds for Flourish, donating 100% of profits from their beautiful Irish linen homewares, while also providing job opportunities for their clients who face barriers to employment. 

This started with the Sew and Skill programme. During the programme, individuals affected by human trafficking experience a creative outlet as well as learning employability skills, engaging with community and building confidence. 

Flourish created SEWN so they could offer Sew and Skill participants a stable and secure job in the production team after completing the programme. Every purchase of a SEWN piece supports this ongoing journey of recovery, independence and freedom for survivors. 

Read next: The ultimate collaboration – Toast x COP26 charity beer box