Ta-Tas as Philanthropy Vehicle

Call them what you want; Ta-Tas Brand Clothing, a Canoga Park, CA, apparel company, goes with "Ta-Tas," and we'll give them credit for a slick concept in raising money for breast cancer research.

Our inner naysayer may suggest that the portion of gross sales (5%) that goes to pink-ribbon research for these premium-priced t-shirts ($25ish) could be higher, but kudos nonetheless to Ta-Tas for having some fun while doing some good.

Q&A: Survival Beachwear Co-Founder Ian Wood

Survival Beachwear is in the business of making apparel, 100% recycled discs, and an impact on the ocean environment. The Peabody, Mass. based apparel company is philanthropy driven, with 10% of net profits going to the National Marine Life Center (Cape Cod), the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center (Boca Raton) and other organizations that promote education and preservation of marine life. Co-founder Ian Wood took the time to answer questions from the Optimist on how his company supports the ocean and plans to mobilize like-minded, beach-loving brand loyalists to spread the word on Survival Beachwear...

THE OPTIMIST COMPANY: What was the inspiration in launching Survival Beachwear and establishing a business model with built-in philanthropy to marine organizations?

IAN WOOD: Our inspiration came from our love of the ocean and the thought that a company can be successful and have a philanthropic mission. With Survival Beachwear we have created a company that gives back, makes an impact on our communities and is professionally fulfilling. Through our brand we are providing customers with quality products, educating communities about our environment and supporting the hands-on, non-profit organizations dedicated to marine conservation.

OPTIMIST: What are some advantages and some challenges in putting so much emphasis in your business into a non-business cause that you are passionate about?

WOOD: The advantage is our passion for the concept and what we believe Survival Beachwear can become through design, marketing and sales efforts. We enjoy what we do and it is rewarding to use our entrepreneurial spirit to create a company that can make a difference. The enthusiasm and encouragement from our customers and partners has been tremendous. The challenge as with any new company is getting our name in front of people and spreading our positive message so that Survival Beachwear becomes a nationally recognized brand with a socially responsible mission and diverse product line.

OPTIMIST: Michael Crooke, former CEO of Patagonia, once said "It's not enough to be eco-groovy." How do you interpret that statement and what is your approach to developing products for the Survival Beachwear brand?

WOOD: Survival Beachwear is not just another apparel company. We are actually giving back and thinking big when we are partnering with organizations that physically rescue and rehabilitate for release stranded animals. We are also a promoter of public education to create awareness about marine conservation issues and what individuals can do on an everyday basis to help this cause. The Survival Beachwear brand is building a community of individuals who embody the spirit of our company and want to support hands-on organizations that are making immediate impacts on marine conservation efforts. We encourage our customers to learn more about our partners and support such causes in their local communities.

I interpret Michael Crooke’s comment as it is not enough for a company to claim to be eco-friendly. If a company is going to be eco-friendly it needs to look at the source of its products and ensure that they are in fact coming from eco-friendly means. For example, Survival Beachwear has looked into using organic cotton for our t-shirts. However, at this time it is not a feasible option for many smaller companies to sell a true organic t-shirt. Most organic cotton used in t-shirts is grown in the United States then shipped to another country to be manufactured. When the shirts come back into the U.S., they are many times sprayed with chemicals at the border making them more of an environmental concern than any domestically manufactured t-shirt. We realize that it is going to take time and research and development to integrate truly eco-friendly manufacturing into our products and we have some different suppliers that we are speaking with to find a way to do this.

From our current product line we do offer the Survival disc that is made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. We have also used recycled paper for the hang tags on our apparel products. As we grow we will continue to look at all of our options for manufacturing eco-friendly products.

OPTIMIST: In your business philosophy, is a "Profit and Purpose" promise acknowledged as a marketing tactic (a means to help promote a brand), or is any promotional impact of the "Purpose" aspect strictly a nice side effect?

WOOD: Our business philosophy has always been that socially responsible companies can be profitable. As far as marketing goes, anyone that buys our products can see first hand who benefits. We are very upfront about our cause and the organizations we support. Our customers know that ten percent of net profits directly go to the organizations that we have selected to partner with. Visit our partners, the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center and the National Marine Life Center, and actually witness firsthand the good things they are doing. I know personally if I am going to buy a product and I can purchase a quality product from a company with a socially responsible cause, I want to support that company.

OPTIMIST: What part of the long-term vision for Survival Beachwear can you share with our readers?

WOOD: With our customers’ support we will continue to grow, expand our product line and increase funding to our partners. Offering quality apparel is very important to us and we are committed to providing our customers with high quality products that reflect the spirit of our brand. We will listen to our customers and look for their feedback about products they would like to see Survival Beachwear offer. As we develop new products and enter additional markets, we will explore options for eco-friendly manufacturing. Enjoying our work and making a difference in our communities is important to us. We will keep promoting awareness and education about marine conservation and how everyone can help in changing the environment for animals and humans.

Thanks Ian, and thanks to Traci at Survival Beachwear for arranging a great Q&A with a driven entrepreneur who shares The Optimist's belief that a socially responsible company can also be a profitable one.

Cutting-Edge Self-Awareness: Timberland

Leading the way, as it often has, in corporate ethics, social responsibility, and environmental care, Timberland releases its 2006 Corporate Social Responsibility Report. (Thanks to CSRwire.com for the release.) Jeffrey Swartz (City Year board member and long-time CEO of another of Fortune's Best Companies to Work For) and Timberland are evolved well beyond the earthy nutrition label on each shoe box, although they study environmental impact as scientifically and openly as could be possibly be imagined, and have evolved to include things like quality of life for factory workers in their worldwide supply chain and providing micro-banks for their employees and keeping acquisitions (GoLite) in line with its core values.

Check out the report online if you have a second; it's a cross between the comprehensive, data-driven fundamentals of a 10-K Annual Report and the sleek attractiveness of a brochure for...something really cool that other companies should do, too.Other Bloggers: Do Well and Do Good

TOMS Shoes and a simple ploy for good

TOMS Shoes has a great cause that makes it an Optimist Company while also probably helping market their cool canvas kicks. Simplicity the key, as designer Blake Mycoskie writes on the site: you buy a pair of the slip-ons and he gives a pair to an impoverished child in South America. (They're a very reasonable $38).

Thanks to this Seth Godin post for the tip. Godin waxes the souvenir quality of the shoes; he talks often about such disposable-income purchases (i.e., not necessary but fun to buy) as souvenirs, as he did today with his post on the Harry Potter book release fiasco.

Yes, TOMS even has sizing to accommodate my gi-normous size 13s.

Fast Company: Nau

Happy Memorial Day...

Fast Company has been the voice of the new business attitude for a decade or so, since it was an inch-thick, ad-stuffed rag documenting the rise and inevitable fall of the dotcom gold rush. Flip through it today and you'll still be inspired by tales of businesses new and old (from SunTechnics to Disney in the June issue) masterfully story-told by Chuck Salters and Alan Deutschman and Jennifer Reingold, who have been doing it for years now.

You'll also notice an increasing chunk of real estate in each passing issue that's dedicated to green, clean tech, socially entrepreneurial and otherwise good and inspiring businesses. For my money, it's still the editorial voice of progressive and change-oriented business leadership (completely off topic: check out Deutschman's 2005 article Change or Die- one of the two or three most influential articles I've ever read.)

The June issue is no disappointment, with a great profile of Nau, the Portland-based offspring of several Patagonia, Nike and Marmot alums and an upstart high-end clothing company built on redefining the clothing business, from production and labor practices to a whopping 5% philanthropy pledge. (FC points out that a typical business' philanthropy is .047% of sales, and even Patagonia's is about 1%.)

It's not just an Optimist business; it's a great start-up story, reminiscent of the start-up story of Keen Footwear, which FC rival Business 2.0 (another reliably inspiring mag) profiled two years ago. Like Nau, Keen was created by thoughtful, well-connected industry vets (footwear, in this case) who were presumably successful and clearly inspired to do even better than their current employers- a not-too-shabby group of corporate citizens in their own rights- were doing. Keen launched in an incredible 60 days, according to lore, while Nau raised substantial capital to fund it's unique "Webfront" retail model, which encourages customers to order online, even from within the store, to cut down overhead. (One complaint: Nau.com is striking but flash-heavy, in my humble opinion, for a transaction-oriented destination.)

I can't wait until I can outlay for Nau's Courier windshirt (nor Keen's Portsmouth kicks, for that matter). In the meantime, I'll proudly wear their stories.

The June FC also asks who will emerge as the Home Depot of the green shopper- a great question that I wish I was in position to answer, because I agree that it will be a lucrative and honorable big box retailing opportunity. They also point out three cool green-leaning blogs- the top three at right. Check them out.

The Optimist Company, in name, is not a borrow from FC (our name is in the spirit of traditional "Massachusetts Bay Trading Company"-style names) but I nonetheless throw a big, hearty nod to Fast Company, which has been inspiring for a looong time.