Let me tell you something about our generation: we’re pretty good at doing social good. Or, at least, we like to think we are.
According to a 2011 study by TBWA/Worldwide, every 7 millennials out of 10 peg themselves as some kind of “social activist.” Before we fork over the cash or swipe our little plastic cards for our latest retail therapy, 84% of us first consider what effect a company is having in the social and environmental realm. The words “corporate social responsibility” are constantly running through our minds and teetering on our tongues.
Just as Mendoza calls us to Ask More of Business, our generation is pleading businesses to ask themselves the same questions. Forget dollar figures and high returns for a second. Instead, think living, breathing, human figures and high qualities of life. We really want to know: what are businesses doing to make the world a better place?
Some for-profit brands have managed to successfully do both. Take TOMS, for instance, the poster child of money-making philanthropy in action. Rather than deals of “buy one, get one free,” CEO Blake Mycoskie dreamt up TOMS shoes in 2006 under the tagline of “one for one”. For every pair of stylin’ sneaks you purchase, the company also supplies a brand new pair to an impoverished child in need. They’ve cultivated not only financial success and a loyal base of obsessed customers, but also a name for themselves as a social superhero.
So, who’s swooping in next to singlehandedly save the world and satisfy our shopping desires?
Enter, Warby Parker.
This young, trendy eyewear company was founded in 2010 and has already set its sights high, pun intended. After seeing the unattainably lofty price-tags that have garnished glasses for years, four young entrepreneurs (David Gilboa, Neil Blumenthal, Andrew Hunt, and Jeffrey Raider) established Warby Parker with the goal of making sight more affordable for four-eyes everywhere. To accomplish this, each set of fierce frames is priced under $95.
However, their social responsibility stretches much further than that. Borrowing from the TOMS idea of “one for one,” Warby Parker donates the equivalent of one pair of glasses to its nonprofit partners with each purchase. These funds in turn go to training workers in disadvantaged communities, who both sell the glasses and administer eye exams locally for ultra- discounted prices.
Why? It’s sustainable. As the old adage goes, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” Warby Parker isn’t just donating glasses to needy communities; they’re giving glasses, while also developing local business that will create a lasting impact.
To date, they’ve supplied over a million spectacles to needy eyes around the world. They’ve equipped over 18,000 people with the tools to continue this work, reaching out to more than 35 countries with open arms and clear sight.
Long story short, Warby Parker is pretty cool. Add into the mix a name that combines two characters from a Jack Kerouac novel, a zany corporate culture that makes you want to drop everything and work there, and eyewear that’s friendly hipster chic… and you’ve got a good thing going. What’s more, their “home try-on” policies allow you to ship 5 pairs of your choosing for a free ‘n’ easy spectacle test drive that takes the pain out of shoppng for frames.
Now I’m just left wishing 12-year-old Katie had actually gone through with her plan of faking her way through her eye exam. But apparently “they’ll make me look smarter” isn’t an acceptable excuse for requiring glasses, and neither is excessively squinting. Psh, whatever.
Warby Parker, on the other hand, needs no faking. They’re the next big player in corporate social responsibility, and they’re the real deal.