International Charity Day reminds all of us to reconsider how we’re positively impacting the people around us.
This year we’re proud to have already supported 74,000 people and donated 37,000 products across 13 global regions – edging us closer to our 2022 goal of supporting 100,000 people and donating 50,000 products. We also commit to donating 1% of our profits to charities every year.
With financial pressures from the pandemic, cost of living crisis, and environmental disasters taking their toll, supporting communities is now more critical than ever.
Brands doing good
As part of our positive business strategy, we’re on a mission to improve the lives of 1 million people in our communities by 2032. To reach this ambitious goal, our brands drive charity initiatives that inspire young people to be more active, empower disadvantaged communities, and reduce our environmental impact.
Speedo’s Swim United programme, in partnership with The Black Swimming Association and Better, helps children learn how to swim. Over in the USA, they’ve focused on supporting local charities that make a real difference: the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club, Massachusetts Breast Cancer Society, and Waymakers Huntington Beach Youth Shelter.
The Endura Lifecycle Trust provides free mountain biking sessions to youth groups, asylum seekers, refugees, and young people who require additional support – providing access to outdoor activities that improve mental health.
Berghaus supports Millimetres to Mountains, a foundation that creates positive change for people facing mental health challenges due to adversity in their lives.
In the UK, Canterbury partners with Sports Aid to donate kit and mentor up-and-coming athletes while in New Zealand the heritage rugby brand supports the mental health programme I am Hope.
Kickers support for Charity: water funds projects to bring clean and safe drinking water to rural communities in Cambodia and the Odisha State in India. Together, these projects mean that about 775 people will now have clean water at home.
SeaVees regularly team up with local organisations and creatives in their hometown of California to raise funds for causes. This year they collaborated with Carissa Potter Carlson to design The Mental Health Awareness Baja Slip On, which donates 10% of every pair sold to the Mental Wellness Centre.
And Mitre and ellesse are regular donors to In Kind Direct, a UK charity that distributes usable products to communities across the country. We’ve partnered with this charity for over two decades, distributing items that provide warmth and protection and support physical and mental wellbeing.
Charity partnerships and give back opportunities
Pentland Brands also support various global charities. Through Oxfam, we support the development and inclusion of migrant children in Shishi city, Fujian province, in China. And through UK charity Panathlon, we help inspire young people with disabilities through sport. This year, Panathlon has hosted 45 swim galas alongside their virtual swim programme, enabling 2,204 participants to enjoy the thrill of swimming.
As part of our commitment to improving people’s lives, our people have give back time to volunteer and we encourage them to donate to local charities. Some recent examples include employees from Speedo’s Cypress office partnering with Save Our Beach to do a local beach clean-up, our Hong Kong office donating to Habitat for Humanity, and our Shenzhen office donating to the China Social Welfare Foundation.
Find out more about how we positively impact planet and people here.