Ready to "do one good thing"? One Difference sells an array of products you likely consume on a regular basis, and in addition to packaging them in a fun design, each product also benefits a social cause.
According to One, the social enterprise creates "brilliant, quality products, and every time you buy one, we donate 100% of the profit to life-changing projects in developing countries."
Their social business model includes an idea they've dubbed "like-for-like." One of the images in the gallery shows a few examples, but essentially for every product you purchase, One will fund a similar product in the developing world. For example, buy juice, help fund a vegetable garden; buy a box of bandages and fund ambulance bikes and first aid kits.
The idea started in London in 2003 when a group of friends got to thinking (while drinking!) about the billion people in the world who don't have access to water. Eventually one of them, Duncan Goose, left his day job to pursue the idea full-time and launched the like-for-like model to sell One Water in 2005.
"And it's not just water anymore," the site says. "Today we have One Vitamin Enhanced Water, One Careplast plasters, One Eggs organic free range eggs, One Supersofty toilet tissue, One Helping Handwash and One Condoms, all raising money for like-for-like humanitarian issues."
Contact Information:
One Difference Website
One Difference on Facebook
One Difference on Twitter: @onedifference
Like-for-Like Businesses
'One' Products Fund Similar Items in the Developing World
Trend Themes
1. Social Enterprise Products - Creating quality products that contribute to social causes.
2. Like-for-like Business Model - Funding similar products in developing countries for every product purchased.
3. Branded Philanthropy - Linking consumer products with humanitarian initiatives to drive social change.
Industry Implications
1. Consumer Goods - Opportunity for consumer goods companies to incorporate social causes into their product offerings.
2. Non-profit Organizations - Non-profit organizations can explore the like-for-like business model to fund humanitarian projects in developing countries.
3. Marketing and Advertising - Developing branded philanthropy campaigns to connect consumer products with social impact initiatives.