Added Value highlights 5 purpose driven brands to help us feel really good about spending our cash. Admittedly, it’s what we’ve come to expect from brands like these.
IKEA refugee shelters offer dignity
IKEA’s non-profit foundation Better Shelter is providing safer and more sustainable homes for refugees and displaced families. Working with the UN Refugee Agency, the Swedish design company created shelters made from recycled plastic that can be easily assembled in just a few hours. Able to house up to a family of five, the structure includes a solar panel to power lights as well as durable walls and locking doors. The foundation has already delivered over 16,000 units to countries around the world including Iraq, Djibouti, Greece and Niger.
Reformation – mathematically ethical fashion
Reformation is a young fashion brand that is using data to meaningfully reduce impacts in clothing supply chains. From growing textile fibers, making fabric, dyeing, moving materials, manufacturing, packaging, shipping, garment care, to recycling clothes, Reformation carefully tracks every step of their environmental footprint with ‘RefScale’, keeping tabs on the amount of carbon dioxide they emit to the water they use for each item sold. A mathematically sound way to make a serious dent in the third most polluting industry in the world.
Amazon commits to clean energy
In an effort to combat climate change, Amazon recently announced that they will install solar panels on 15 of its US fulfillment centers this year, and another 50 worldwide by 2020. The tech company also has various other renewable energy projects in place like wind and solar farms in Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia to power their data centers.
Nike goes pro hijab
Nike has recently introduced a lightweight, highly wearable hijab that doesn’t come untucked when working out or during competitions. The product , a year in the making, is made from a sportswear mesh fabric comprised of tiny holes that guarantee optimal breathability. The accompanying campaign seeks to expand Nike’s reach to a growing market of Muslim shoppers buying apparel and footwear, estimated to reach $484 billion annually by 2019.
Starbucks takes a stand against Muslim ban
With the recent controversial Executive Order targeting immigrants and refugees from seven majority Muslim nations, Starbucks was one of the earliest and most vocal companies to take a stand against it. The global coffee chain quickly came out with a statement announcing that they would take specific actions to reinforce their beliefs and values and made a commitment to employ 10,000 refugees over the next five years. An avid supporter of DACA, Starbucks has shown consistent loyalty to their partners and farmers in Mexico and a commitment to healthcare for their employees.
