Five Social Enterprises that are Making a Real Impact

On the "Social Enterprise Day" here is a list of five unique social enterprises that are making an impact at the grassroots level, and showing the way how it can be done.

WORN

The social business wing of the Catholic Charities Forth Worth (CCFW), WORN is a social enterprise with a mission to empower refugee women in Fort Worth, TX. WORN sells hand-knitted scarves made by these women to enable them earn an income for their households. The production manager at WORN Abbi Ice says, "The life skills they learn through WORN enable them to better assimilate into their new American lives." Profits earned by WORN go to CCFW to support their larger goals to fight poverty.

Selfless Tee

Selfless won the Pepsi Refresh contest as an innovative social enterprise. Danny Bocanegra, one of the co-founders, says, "[Selfless Tee] runs campaigns with organizations using unique, cause-inspired apparel giving back 100% of the profits to the organization after the campaign." Selfless Tee takes care that the t-shirts are made of recycled polyester or organic cotton, and produced in fair trade facilities.

Hotels for Hope

Neil Gold founded Hotels For Hope after a chance encounter with Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS. Hotels for Hope adds a dimension of social good to its simple activity of securing hotel rooms for its customers. With every room booked, the hotel makes a $1 charitable contribution that is matched by Hotels for Hope. Hotels for Hope then uses that money to support one of its five partner organizations.

Yellow 108

Yellow 108 believes that waste products can generate profits. It makes use of salvaged and recycled materials to produce hats and accessories. It minimizes the large amounts of waste produced by textile factories, and transforms it into fashionable products that everyone can wear. As a trendy and environmentally responsible company, Yellow 108 is showing the way how sustainable businesses can be built around social goals.

Runa

Runa is a social enterprise that sells a beverage called Guayusa. Runa's founder Tyler Gage says that Guyausa is, "a native Amazonian tree leaf that contains more caffeine and double the antioxidants of any tea." That makes it a great product already. However, Runa goes a step beyond. It uses a part of its profits to support its sister organization, which is a nonprofit called Foundation Runa. Foundation Runa supports local farmers and indigenous communities work towards achieving sustainable development in the Amazon.

These small social enterprises are a classic illustration of how profitable businesses can be created while making a positive difference to the lives of the local people and supporting the environment.

Photo Credit: Eastop