In episode five of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast, Who Gives a Crap co-founder Jehan Ratnatunga discusses the journey of his organisation and its recent partnership with English football team, Lewes FC.
Who Gives a Crap is a Melbourne born organisation which sells eco-friendly household products with the intention of donating 50% of all profits made to those across the world who do not have access to adequate sanitation.
Originally founded in 2012, the company initially sold toilet paper in order to fund improved access to toileting for the two billion people without access to a toilet at the time. Since then, Who Gives a Crap has moved into selling a range of everyday items such as kitchen towels, garbage bags and more.
Additionally, the organisation has made moves outside of Australia, expanding globally into United States, Canadian, United Kingdom and European markets.
Ratnatunga cast a light on the mantra which he believed set Who Gives a Crap apart from its competitors.
“We have this Venn diagram of looks good, feels good, does good,” he said on the podcast.
“So, our toilet paper looks good, in that it’s beautifully, individually wrapped. At the time we started, nobody was really doing that. All the packaging was plastic wrappers and boring.
“The idea behind looks good was could we make a product as boring as toilet paper something that people would take out from below the sink and put it on display? And in fact, it’s gone further than that. We’ve had people post it on their Instagram. We’ve had people use it in their wedding as gifts to the guests.
“ Feel good is really about the customer experience. It’s delivered straight to your door. You can buy it in supermarkets. And the quality of the paper is really soft and strong for customers.
“And then does good is that it has to be a product that gives back, that’s the whole point of Who Gives a Crap. That’s why it’s called Who Gives a Crap. So, we donate 50% of our profits.”
Last year in August, Who Gives a Crap partnered with Lewes FC, an English football side to promote sanitary activism at a new community level. Ratnatunga explained the goals for the collaboration.
“The sponsorship is not just about creating fame or awareness for the brand, but how we can actually create impact – that’s what’s really interesting for us,” he said.
“We have a shared goal through this partnership to raise 25,000 pounds, which is about 50,000 Australian dollars, for sanitation.”
To learn more about Who Gives a Crap and its work with Lewes FC, listen to the full interview with Jehan Ratnatunga on episode five of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast – available on all major podcasting apps.
