Who Gives A Crap (WGAC) is a brand of toilet paper, tissues, and paper towels founded in Australia in 2012. The company sells recycled and bamboo products and donates half its profits to charity.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Consumer staples |
| Founders |
|
Key people | Simon Griffiths (CEO)[1] |
| Products |
|
Number of employees | ~100 (2020) |
| Website | whogivesacrap |
History
editWGAC was founded in 2012 by Simon Griffiths, Danny Alexander, and Jehan Ratnatunga.[2] Griffiths had the idea for the company after learning that more than 2 billion people didn't have access to a toilet.[3] WGAC launched in July 2012 with an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, for which Griffiths sat on a toilet in a warehouse for 50 hours, until the first $50,000 had been raised.[4][5] The first deliveries were made in March 2013.[5] Since launching,Who Gives A Crap has donated over $13 million dollars to Wateraid and other sanitation charities.[6]
By 2020, WGAC had grown to about 100 staff, and shipped products to 36 countries, with warehouses in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Netherlands.[7] The company began receiving investment funding in 2021, totalling around $50 million, from investors including Mike Cannon-Brookes.[2][8] WGAC is a certified B Corporation, FSC certified, and ranked A in NRDC Sustainability denoting a commitment to positive social and environmental impact.[9]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in early 2020, there were numerous shortages, including of toilet paper. In March 2020, WGAC received 30-40 times the typical number of daily sales, being forced to mark their online store as 'out of stock' for a short time - a waiting list began which grew to more than 500,000 people.[3][10]
Products
editWGAC toilet paper is created from recycled paper, and each roll is also individually wrapped in recycled paper. Since 2016, WGAC also sell toilet paper created from bamboo.[11][12] Its toilet paper products are manufactured in China,[13] United States, and the United Kingdom.
Charitable donations
editHalf of the company's profits are donated to charities including WaterAid, WaterSHED, and Shining Hope for Communities.[11] By 2024, WGAC had donated more than $13 million AUD, with $6 million USD resulting from the company's sales spike during 2020 pandemic shortages.[2][5][1]
References
edit- ^ a b Skantzos, Kathy (19 December 2020). "Who Gives a Crap gives away $5.85 million after exponential sales spike with pandemic". News.com.au. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ a b c Macdonald, Anthony; Redrup, Yolanda (24 August 2021). "Who Gives A Crap scores first big funding injection". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ^ a b "The irreverent toilet paper startup that cleaned up during the pandemic lockdown". Fortune. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
- ^ Nosowitz, Dan (2019-07-17). "What's the deal with all this fancy new toilet paper?". Vox. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
- ^ a b c Goel, Shubhangi; Gilchrist, Karen (2021-10-07). "This CEO sat on a toilet for 50 hours to raise funds. Now, investors are giving him $30 million". CNBC. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
- ^ "Donations made". Who Gives A Crap. 2024.
- ^ Boddy, Natasha (29 December 2020). "'I never meant to be a toilet paper mogul' Simon Griffiths". The Australian Financial Review. ProQuest 2472986994. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ^ Lynch, Jared (14 September 2021). "Who Gives A Crap flushed with $41m raising". The Australian. ProQuest 2572064880. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ^ Burkhardt, Kai (2020-09-29). "Stay stocked up on toilet paper with these delivery services". CNN Underscored. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
- ^ Koziol, Michael (2 March 2022). "Sheet dreams are made of this for loo paper suppliers". The Sun-Herald.
- ^ a b Henderson, Emma (2021-07-27). "Plastic Free July: Why we should all swap to this eco-friendly loo roll that helps to save trees". The Independent. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
- ^ Sirtori-Cortina, Daniela (2022-03-29). "The Battle for Your Toilet Paper Is On". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
- ^ Wiggins, Jenny (2022-04-22). "Who gives a crap about the rising cost of toilet paper?". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 2022-05-01.