Brands put a lot of communication out into the world and much of it is a one-way conversation. However, there are those that combine product and brand to provide an IRL utility to their audience, which forges a relationship with much deeper meaning.
Gaia is making fertility treatments more accessible. Only One is working to remove barriers for more people to engage meaningfully in climate activism. Resy goes far beyond just booking a table and has become a go-to brand for all things restaurant culture.
Here are the brands Making Real Impact:
Aveda
Aveda, the haircare company owned by Estée Lauder, has been an industry leader in sustainability initiatives, taking innovative steps long before they were commonplace. The Certified B Corporation’s packaging is 100% recycled, every product is vegan and cruelty-free, and its primary facility uses completely wind-powered manufacturing. In addition to its care for the planet, Aveda is committed to ensuring that it caters to everyone, making a targeted effort to create products designed for all hair types.
Bombas
In the past year, buy-one-give-one apparel brand Bombas reached an important milestone—donating 100 million items since its founding a decade ago. Rather than rest on its laurels, the company has been adding to the products it donates to its partners who serve the unhoused—adding antimicrobial socks, black T-shirts, and a wider variety of styles and sizes of underwear. Beyond donations, the brand offered one-on-one support to homeless neighbors of its headquarters—including cell phone support, well-being check-ins, and assistance with medical follow-up appointments.
The Citizenry
Each of the Citizenry’s products is made to standards established by the World Fair Trade Organization, demonstrating its commitment to ethical and sustainable home products. The company pays its artists two times the fair trade wage requirement, and it invests in the communities it collaborates with to ensure quality work standards. In India, where one of the brand’s weaving partners is located, the Citizenry demonstrated its commitment to employees by building two new weaving sheds. When Afghani partners faced a crisis after the Taliban offensive, the company worked with women in undisclosed locations to preserve the country’s rug-weaving culture.
Cotopaxi
Outerwear and bag brand Cotopaxi has been on fire. The company doubled its revenue from 2021 to 2022 (the second year in a row) by focusing on sustainable materials and ethical manufacturing practices. The brand’s ethos has helped it over-index with women and younger shoppers—60% of its customers identify as female, and 62% of purchases are made by 18- to 44-year-olds. Revenue is also reallocated to its foundation: In 2022, over $1 million went to provide more than 171,000 people in South America with malaria treatment and to give assistance to some 8,500 refugees in Ecuador and Venezuela.
Gaia
This IVF insurance company clears the hurdles for people trying to start a family. Read more about how Gaia is helping people navigate the challenging IVF experience.
Humble Bundle
While Humble Bundle has always donated a portion of its profit to social causes, the company went above and beyond last year, giving 100% of the $20 million it raised from its pay-what-you-want collections of games, e-books, and software to those impacted by the war in Ukraine. Revenue from other bundles was donated to the National Network of Abortion Funds, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and World Central Kitchen. Altogether, the brand raised $33 million and contributed to more than 10,000 charities last year to uplift people and causes aligned with the company’s values.
Lowe’s
Lowe’s is centering community and inclusivity for customers and employees alike. The home improvement company is meeting consumers where they need help the most, funding more than 500 home repairs, paying for the building of over 160 new homes, and investing more than $21 million in affordable housing last year. Lowe’s also completed its first year of Lowe’s Hometowns, a five-year initiative that is revitalizing critical infrastructure in rural areas, such as a senior citizens center in Cushing, Oklahoma, and a domestic-abuse shelter in Sioux City, North Dakota. The company is also promoting accessibility for its employees who are deaf and hard of hearing through its implementation of American Sign Language tools.
McDonald’s
The powerhouse fast food corporation’s network of Ronald McDonald House Charities is putting people first. Since 2022, McDonald’s has continued to pay the salaries of more than 10,000 Ukraine-based workers who have been impacted by the war, donated medical supplies to hospitals, and created an employee assistance fund. In addition to its focus on war-relief efforts, McDonald’s made a $1 million donation to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino; developed a partnership with the Obama Foundation to support both global initiatives and local programming in Chicago; and released its first Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Report last year to keep itself accountable.
Munchkin
Baby brand Munchkin found itself rethinking its approach to include animal safety alongside the safety of its customers. When the company was alerted that a tabby cat got stuck in its discarded packaging, Munchkin immediately took action—the company replaced plastic with compostable material where possible, cutting down its plastic usage by 643,630 pounds in 2022. And not only did Munchkin fund the surgery and medical bills for the affected cat, it also donated to its rescuer’s home-based shelter, Itty Bitty Kitty City.
Only One
The platform making climate activism easier shows supporters where every cent goes. Read more about Only One’s commitment to transparency is growing its reach.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
As the nation’s largest provider of sexual and reproductive healthcare, Planned Parenthood has been more critical than ever since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade—even as challenges to its operations have increased. The nonprofit has faced a slew of legal and logistical challenges to its mission, but it remains committed to ensuring quality care for patients. To meet the urgency of the moment, Planned Parenthood launched its Bans Off Our Bodies campaign, organized hundreds of events supporting bodily autonomy, and held hundreds of thousands of conversations with patients.
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
The beloved fast food chain’s charity arm, Popeyes Foundation, is committed to alleviating poverty and hunger across the United States. Through a partnership with No Kid Hungry, Popeyes is ensuring that children who have faced challenges related to COVID-19 will not go without food—the corporation has donated more than $1 million to hunger-relief efforts since 2018. Popeyes also created a relief fund for its team members, providing grants to employees who have faced emergency hardships such as natural disasters. Don’t worry, the chicken didn’t get short shrift—Popeyes added blackened-chicken sandwiches to its menu, a nonfried sibling to its classic chicken sandwich.
Resy
More than simply a reservation app, Resy is using its place in the food world to spotlight up-and-coming chefs and restaurants—while still helping you book that 7 p.m. table. Read more about how Resy has become an integral part of driving business to minority-owned restaurants.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
St. Jude’s efforts to help children most in need has taken on a global scope recently. In 2022, the organization helped evacuate sick children from Ukraine amid the ongoing war in that country. By last fall, St. Jude’s Supporting Action for Emergency Response in Ukraine initiative, working alongside NGOs in neighboring countries, helped 900 children from Ukraine with cancer and blood disorders continue their treatment abroad. The 61-year-old children’s hospital is also three years into an ongoing $200 million investment in its partnership with the World Health Organization to supply cancer medicines at no cost to low- and middle-income countries—which is expected to help some 120,000 kids by 2027.
Two Good
Danone’s Greek yogurt brand Two Good is an exemplar of how purpose-driven business can grow quickly. Started as a lower-sugar yogurt offering that focused on reducing food waste and donating meals through community partners in New York and Denver, by early 2023 Two Good was a $227 million brand, driving a third of the growth in yogurt between 2020 and 2023—and 43% of Danone’s growth from 2019 to 2022. With several flavors made using produce “rescued” by startup Full Harvest and a recently introduced line of smoothies, the company has saved more than 52 million pounds of otherwise good food from landfills and donated 48 million meals.
Vault Platform
Vault Platform’s mission is to ensure that employees and customers are guaranteed respect and transparency by the companies they engage with. With a refreshed brand identity in 2023 and new offerings focused on ethics and compliance technology that it calls “Active Integrity,” Vault Platform wants to change the top-down way that turns reports from employees into actionable insights for business leaders. The aim is to encourage users to report misconduct, resolve issues collaboratively, and overall to feel empowered to speak up when corporate standards are not being met.
This story is part of Fast Company’s 2023 Brands That Matter. Explore the full list of companies that have demonstrated a commitment to their purpose as a brand and cultural relevance to their audience. Read more about the methodology behind the selection process.