6 social good companies changing the world in innovative ways

6 social good companies changing the world in innovative ways6 social good companies changing the world in innovative waysThere are science-backed reasons to get involved in efforts were passionate about - research hasfoundthat helping others through generosity can make us happier and more financially successful.Businesses, too, can reap those benefits throughsocial entrepreneurship, setting out to change the world through innovative thinking.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThese six social good companies are prioritizing the well-being of people andour planetin inspiringly creative ways.TerraCycles Loop program aims to drastically transform the way we ship packagesWaste management company TerraCycle introduced the companys new waste-free shopping platform, Loop, at the World Economic Forums Annual Meeting in Davos in late January.Loop will not just eliminate the idea of packag ing waste, but greatly improve the product experience and the convenience in how we shop, TerraCycle CEO Tom Szakysaid in a statement. Through Loop, consumers can now responsibly consume products in specially-designed durable, reusable or fully recyclable packaging made from materials like alloys, glass and engineered plastics. When a consumer returns the packaging, it is refilled, or the content is reused or recycled through groundbreaking technology.Loop isteaming up withcompanies likeProcter Gamble, Unilever, PepsiCo, Nestle, and more to make this happen. While TerraCycle already helps organizations recycle materials in 21 countries, Loops pilot programis projected tobegin in New York and Paris during spring 2019.Goodr transports excess food to gemeinntzigs, fighting food insecurityThis company delivers surplus food from the businesses that have it to nonprofit organizations and people that need it, all playing into their feed more, waste lessmission.Heres what the process looks like in action businessesgive awaytheir extra food and Goodr transfers it to nonprofits, a process that helps decrease greenhouse gas emissions and boost businesses bottom line. Goodrsdashboardand mobile app also let the businesses keep an eye on the food theyve donated, measure their community impact, and see their real-time tax savings.Goodr has been seeing large-scale results - the company says they have rescued over 900,000 pounds of food, totaling more than 800,000 meals served and counting since officially launching in 2017. They currentlywork withTurner Broadcasting Systems, MetLife Stadium, the NFL, and other major organizations.This food that is going to waste is so much more than just waste, it is power, it is change, it is treasure. It is the ability to feed a hungry child which could be the difference to that child learning in school and passing that test, Goodr Founder and CEO Jasmine Crowesaidduring a 2017 TEDxPeachtree talk. Its allowing our seniors to never have to make a decision between paying for their prescriptions and paying for food. Its seeing a reduction in crimes committed to feed ones family. Its lifting the financial burden off of people that are already living on the marginal poverty line. I believe that this food will give people hope in their darkest hour because this food is social change.Crowe had launched a Sunday Soul program in Atlanta in 2013, which later expanded to Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Baltimore, and hasreportedly given more than 50,000 people food. When a video from one of the serving sessions went viral, commenters wanted to know which restaurants provided the meals, piquing Crowes interest in businesses excess food, and eventually leading to the establishment of Goodr.The 7 Virtues fragrance company helps farmers in war-torn countries make a livingThis Canadian companyuses essential oilsfrom countries rebuilding after war or strife, like Haiti, The Middle East, Rwanda and more, helping local farmers rebui ld and succeed.Founder and CEO Barb StegemanntoldFast Companyin 2018 about how interest in her companys product has grown since the initiative began. Nine years ago, nobody knew what a social enterprise was, shetoldthe publication. Now, I find that people get fruchtwein excited when they hear that a product is helping people, in my case farmers in countries that are rebuilding.Farmers working for The 7 Virtues alsoreportedlyearn as much as 2.5 times the income of the next crop, which gives them the money they need to construct homes and buy their kids school uniforms.First Book provides children with 1000000s of books to enrich their educational experiencesWorkingin more than 30 countries, this company has donated more than 175 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income communities, andparticipatedin the World Economic Forums Annual Meeting 2019. The companyreportedlyimpacts an average of 5 million children yearly, and thousands of instructors affiliated with the group serve American children in need.The head of the organization has offered some important advice about what it takes to start a transformational company. Kyle Zimmer, President and CEO of First Book, shared a powerful lesson she learned at the start of her career I thought I had to have all the answers myself. I dont think I had the humility or the perspective to understand that thats never the game, and that reaching out to as many brilliant minds as you can find is where the real strength is, Zimmertold The New York Timesin 2012. When I startedFirst Book, I was learning about the publishing industry from the ground up. But by that time, I had learned that it really didnt matter if I knew anything. What mattered is whether I could get people to the table who did, because youre never going to know enough.Bombas supplies socks to people who need them the mostThis companydonatesa pair of socks for every pair purchased, and theyve given away more than 15 million pairs so far. The socks they donate to giving partnersare also differentfrom the ones they sell - an anti-microbial treatment ensures they dont need to be washed as often, and reinforced seams and darker colors give them greater durability with less visible wear. This essentially gives them the ability to weather different storms than the average sock.If we build a better pair of socks, we can sell more socks, Bombas co-founder David HeathtoldThe New York Timesin 2016. And if we sell more socks, we can donate more socks.Medic Mobile boosts healthcare services in remote areasThis global health nonprofitseeksto improve health in the communities that are hardest to reach, and provides critical software to aid this process. TheCommunity Health Toolkit featureallows local health workers and volunteers to complete tasks such as enteringdata, treating people at their homes, monitoring the spread of illnesses more quickly, announcing emergencies, and more.By capitalizing on mobile connectivity, Medic Mobile has been able to improve healthcare for more than 8 million people in 23 countries in just 5 years,TechCrunchreportedin 2016.This article first appeared on Thrive Global.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people