Caroline Snider
University of Tennessee
Emily Landry
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World For Good is a social enterprise that upcycles tote bags from reusable materials. Not only does this business donate a majority of their proceeds to charities that aid survivors from sexual assault encounters, but they also solve four of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
World For Good was founded in 2019 by Jennifer Moreau-Chick who resides in Casselberry, Florida. Ms. Moreau-Chick felt the desire to help others around the world who are victims of sexual assault. Being a survivor herself, she knows how incredibly harrowing that type of ordeal can be from firsthand experience. Not only did she want to pursue a business venture that would aid other survivors, but she also wanted to approach business in a sustainable way. Thus, she conjured up the incredible idea to sell tote bags from upcycled materials, providing an amazing opportunity to help the sexual assault community, but also the world as a whole.
This social enterprise goes above and beyond for the impact it is making on the world. So far, this business embraces four of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and they are intent on implementing even more of them. First, they are focused on promoting gender equality through employing girls and women. The majority of sexual assault victims. Second, World For Good provides wages to underserved communities in order to help close the wage gap and lower the poverty rate. Additionally, since all of their materials are recycled, this business is dedicated to promoting responsible consumption and production. Going hand-in-hand with the twelfth Sustainable Development Goal, World For Good enhances climate action due to their production practices. World For Good proves to be a leader in sustainable business practices.
While this story starts off upsetting, it takes a turn for the better. The founder of World For Good was a survivor of domestic trafficking. Instead of letting this experience define her as a person, she decided to turn it into a way to help other abuse victims. Also she noted that, “Sex trafficking is applicable to everyone and not everyone can see it happening in front of them.” Therefore, not only is Ms. Moreau-Chick is creating a platform for abuse victims to speak up about their experiences, but she also is providing job opportunities for those affected.
The tote bags created by World For Good provide a number of impacts on the world outside of their workplace, from social impacts, to environmental, to the business world as a whole. This enterprise shows that businesses can be run in a sustainable way and still bring in a profit, especially since the demand for sustainable products/businesses is only increasing, due to consumer awareness.
Most importantly, World For Good’s main impacts are on sexual assault survivors. Not only do they hire girls and women who have been affected by those experiences, but they give back to the community as well. Approximately 90% of the proceeds are donated to those foundations. Additionally, the employees are given a competitive wage, so that they can escape the poverty cycle. This prevents those women from being trapped in the sex trafficking environment again. In conclusion, this social enterprise is affecting these victims’ lives in the present, but also for the rest of their lives.
The innovative products created by the business are beneficial to the business in many different ways. First and foremost, the employees receive the benefits. These women come from underdeveloped countries and they receive a living wage. These mothers do not have to worry about feeding their children because they receive a real wage. Thus, the employee retention rate is very high, since these women can actually live off of the money they earn. Employees are content with the job they are performing.
Although the products are not new and original, the way they are produced is what makes them so unique. These products are created from upcycled materials from the cloth that is used to make beautiful sarees in India. This business proves to the world that products do not need to be made unethically. Products can be made and sold in sustainable ways.
This business is bringing women out of poverty and out of dangerous environments. These jobs are giving people another chance at life. Additionally, they are bringing awareness to sex trafficking as a whole. The consumers who buy these products are directly helping the cause. Also, they can spread the word about these products too.
The environment is heavily impacted by this business because of the sustainable production of these products. World For Good addresses a waste issue of the textile industry. Over 20 billion pounds of textile waste is thrown away every single year. This a monumental amount of materials being wasted each year. World For Good is a pioneer in the sustainable production industry.
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Jennifer Moreau-Chick, Founder
