Businesses around the world have different goals and purposes. Some companies just want to do their business well, others want to create a useful product, but other businesses have a much greater purpose than just creating a neat new product or making money. Some companies contribute to charities, raise awareness of important issues or even save lives.
Here are five of the most well-known companies that have a global presence and use this for good.
1. Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola produces more than 3,500 different beverages in 200 countries around the world, with approximately 1/3 of their products sold outside the United States. The company spends a lot of time and effort on fundraising for charities and providing clean drinking water. In fact, they provide more than 1 billion people with clean drinking water!
In addition to providing clean drinking water, Coca-Cola has been known to improve the lives of communities where their drinks are sold by funding schools, creating jobs and supporting community health programs.
2. Pepsi
Similar to their competitor, Coca-Cola, Pepsi is an international brand with some products sold in more than 200 countries worldwide. Over $50 million of Pepsi’s funds are donated to charities annually, and they also offer scholarships for students who want to enter the business field. They even provide grants for teachers who wish to expand their knowledge and reach.
3. Starbucks
Starbucks has approximately 21,000 stores in 60 different countries around the world. They partner with multiple organizations such as Conservation International and the WWF (World Wildlife Foundation). Their main purpose is to protect the environment, and they focus most of their efforts on that goal.
4. Unilever
Unilever is an international company that manufactures many different types of personal care products. They boast of being the world’s largest user of tea, and they are also ranked #2 in palm oil usage. Unilever plants five trees (4 for paper production) for every ton of tea purchased, and their palm oil usage actually reduces deforestation in third-world countries.
5. The Body Shop
The Body Shop is a cosmetic company with over 2,000 stores in 56 different countries around the world. For every product they sell, The Body Shop donates part of the earnings to one of several charities. They also regularly run campaigns against animal testing, which are very popular among their customers.