TOMS Shoes Redefining CSR Business Approach

On the Miratel blog, we have written about the CSR business efforts of many companies as they are more and more prevalent in corporate culture but there are still some that manage to stand out and take it to another level and TOMS shoes is one of those examples. Since their launch in 2006, TOMS has been featured in many prominent media outlets and have been supported by a long list of celebrities including Dimi Moore, Heather Graham, Morgan Spurlock, Kristen Bell and many others. TOMS shoes do not offer the flash of the trendsetting, expensive brands like Jimmy Choo, Prada or Manolo Blahnik but the amazing thing about TOMS is not the shoes at all – it’s what the shoes represent.

TOMS Shoes is a company that was founded on a simple premise – One for one.  What that means exactly is “With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what [they’re] all about”.  The TOMS Shoes story is an interesting one that completely encapsulates the true meaning of CSR business in that local actions can have impact on a global scale.

“In 2006 an American traveler, Blake Mycoskie, befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. Blake returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by caring TOMS customers”.

TOMS image courtesy of tomsshoes.ca

As of September 2010, TOMS has given over 1,000,000 pairs of shoes to children around the world in need of shoes. Those less fortunate need so many things, that many of us take for granted each day, so why shoes and not other items? The answer is quite simple – walking is the major mode of transportation for children, whether they are going to school, work, play or gathering sustenance for themselves and their family.  “Wearing shoes prevents [their] feet from getting cuts and sores on unsafe roads and from contaminated soil. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected. The leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted parasites, which penetrate the skin through open sores. Wearing shoes can prevent this and the risk of amputation”.

One of the many interesting facts about TOMS is the self proclaimed social entrepreneur and genius behind the brand, Blake Mycoskie. Mycoskie took what he learned and witnessed on his trips to heart and completely transformed his life by giving away all of his possessions and living on a sail boat in L.A.  He decided that he could not in good conscience keep his lifestyle now that he saw the suffering that existed in the world first hand. TOMS shoes encourages their customers to join the One for One movement and get involved by purchasing a pair of TOMS shoes or Go Barefoot and participating in One Day Without Shoes to raise awareness and bring attention to the plight of those who don’t have a choice. Their last One Day Without Shoes event help April 5, 2011 resulted in the organization of over 1,000 events in over 25 countries worldwide.

When you buy a pair of TOMS Shoes you are buying more than a pair of shoes – you are giving a child a mode of transportation, safety, a form of disease prevention and a chance to better their life. It truly is the gift that keeps on giving and a CSR business approach that is an insiration for all.

TOMS Millionth Pair Shoe Drop – Argentina, September 2010

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COhPsGLnMPY&NR=1[/youtube]

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