One of our central commitments as a brand is to make continued progress when it comes to environmental and social change. This work takes many forms, so today we’re focusing on the social impact we’ve made both in our local community and globally.

The Untouched World Foundation

Via the Untouched World Foundation, we offer Leadership for a Sustainable Future programmes to young adults, and for the last 23 years, we’ve been supporting our participants and graduates to become change-makers.

Our week-long programmes are based around key sustainability issues such as habitat conservation and water security, and through education, on-the-ground action, and collaboration, our participants learn vital leadership skills that help them unlock their potential so they can go on to be active change-makers in creating a sustainable future for all.

To build upon our initial programme, we also offer an Advanced Leadership Programme which graduates can participate in to further hone their skills and gain more experience. To date over 3,000 young adults have graduated from our programmes, with many of them going on to pursue careers related to the practical experience they gained with the Untouched World Foundation.

For a more in-depth look at the Untouched World Foundation, read our dedicated journal entry.

Project U

Project U is our not-for-profit capsule collection. Each garment is ethically made in Kolkata, India, by women who were once marginalised by extreme poverty and exploitation. Through our handpicked supply partners Joyya, women have access to fair and decent work and a living wage. Alongside this, there are a host of other benefits available including professional development opportunities, health education, vocational training, money management classes, and retirement plans.

While the manufacture of our Project U collection supports the women at Joyya, the proceeds from the sales are used to fund the Untouched World Foundation, so it has a dual impact on both a local and a global scale.

To date, we have sold 1,886 Project U products. Learn more about our partnership with Joyya here.

Neonatal Hats

We don’t just support charities, services, and social projects by selling specially made products, we donate them too. One Mother To Another is a wonderful NZ charity which provides over 5,000 care packages each year to mums and carers across the South Island who find themselves in hospital with a poorly child, as well as mums who are going through their own health struggles. The charity’s aim is to provide comfort and support to people at what can be an incredibly difficult and vulnerable time in their lives. To support their efforts, we used offcuts of our soft, natural fabric to make and donate over 100 neonatal baby beanies to be included in care packages.

Masks for Cyclone Gabriel

When Cyclone Gabriel hit the Northern and Eastern regions of New Zealand in early 2023, it caused widespread devastation. After the initial shock and destruction, communities had to deal with the piles of silt that had been left behind from the flooding. As it dried, the silt turned to dust, posing a serious health risk to people working on the clean-up efforts. To keep them safe, we teamed up with local businesses in the Hawkes Bay region to send thousands of complimentary reusable cotton and merino face masks for those in need.

Books for Women’s Refuge

Christmas is synonymous with joy and celebration, but that’s not the case for everyone. We understood that residents at our local Women’s Refuge, Te Whare Hauora, who are often left with limited resources, would be facing a difficult time ahead. To spread some joy, we arranged a book collection among our staff and community and together we donated over 50 children’s books to brighten their Christmas with a little something under the tree.

Mentor Walks

It can be difficult to find people to mentor you through your career, not everyone has access to a network of people who can provide valuable, experience-based guidance and insight. That’s why our founder Peri Drysdale is a member of Mentor Walks, which provides a supportive space for aspiring businesswomen in Christchurch to meet and network with established businesswomen.

Participants are matched with mentors according to their area of business and their needs, so that they can get the most out of their time, whether that’s by hearing about their mentor’s own experience, asking burning questions, or bouncing ideas around. With over 40 years of experience, Peri has a lot to share and she’s happy to be able to provide support and advice to other women in the community.

B1G1

We love to go the extra mile to create social impact, but we want to do it via our everyday operations too. Through our partnership with B1G1, which enables businesses to give back with every transaction, for every CoolTree™ garment or coffee we sell we help families in Ethiopia gain access to clean water. We believe everyone deserves access to basic human necessities and by helping to provide safe, clean drinking water we can help families thrive and reach their full potential.

Our impact in numbers

• In 2023 we gave 11.8% of our net profit through our giving programmes.
• Over 3,000 young people have graduated from our Untouched World Foundation Leadership Programmes.
• Via Project U, we have supported the education of 210 women, who were once marginalised by poverty and exploitation.
• We supported women’s refuge with over 50 books across our Christmas appeal.
• We have helped provide access to over 209,802 days’ worth of clean water.