Who Gives A Crap Explained

Who Gives A Crap
Type:	Private
Industry:	Consumer staples
Key People:	Simon Griffiths (CEO)
Num Employees:	~100
Num Employees Year:	2020

Who Gives A Crap (WGAC) is a brand of toilet paper, tissues, and paper towels founded in Australia in 2012. The company sells Chinese-made recycled and bamboo products and donates half its profits to charity.

History

WGAC was founded in 2012 by Simon Griffiths, Danny Alexander, and Jehan Ratnatunga.^[1] Griffiths had the idea for the company after learning that more than 2 billion people didn't have access to a toilet.^[2] WGAC launched in July 2012 with an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, for which Griffiths sat on a toilet in a warehouse for 50 hours, until the first $50,000 had been raised.^{[3] [4]} The first deliveries were made in March 2013.

By 2020, WGAC had grown to about 100 staff, and shipped products to 36 countries, with warehouses in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Netherlands.^[5] The company began receiving investment funding in 2021, totalling around $50 million, from investors including Mike Cannon-Brookes.^[6] WGAC is a certified B Corporation, denoting a commitment to positive social and environmental impact.^[7]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in early 2020, there were numerous shortages, including of toilet paper. In March 2020, WGAC received 30-40 times the typical number of daily sales, being forced to mark their online store as 'out of stock' for a short time - a waiting list began which grew to more than 500,000 people.^[8]

Products

WGAC toilet paper is created from recycled paper, and each roll is also individually wrapped in recycled paper. Since 2016, WGAC also sell toilet paper created from bamboo.^{[9] [10]} Its toilet paper products are manufactured in China.^[11]

Charitable donations

Half of the company's profits are donated to charities including WaterAid, WaterSHED, and Shining Hope for Communities. By 2021, WGAC had donated more than $7.8 million AUD, with $6 million USD resulting from the company's sales spike during 2020 pandemic shortages.^[12]

Notes and References

1. News: Macdonald . Anthony . Redrup . Yolanda . 24 August 2021 . Who Gives A Crap scores first big funding injection . Australian Financial Review . 2 March 2022.
2. Web site: The irreverent toilet paper startup that cleaned up during the pandemic lockdown . 2022-03-02 . Fortune . en.
3. Web site: Nosowitz . Dan . 2019-07-17 . What's the deal with all this fancy new toilet paper? . 2022-03-02 . Vox . en.
4. Web site: Gilchrist . Shubhangi Goel,Karen . 2021-10-07 . This CEO sat on a toilet for 50 hours to raise funds. Now, investors are giving him $30 million . 2022-03-02 . CNBC . en.
5. News: Boddy . Natasha . 29 December 2020 . 'I never meant to be a toilet paper mogul' Simon Griffiths . The Australian Financial Review . 2 March 2022. .
6. News: Lynch . Jared . 14 September 2021 . Who Gives A Crap flushed with $41m raising . The Australian . 2 March 2022. .
7. Web site: Burkhardt . Kai . 2020-09-29 . Stay stocked up on toilet paper with these delivery services . 2022-03-02 . CNN Underscored . en.
8. News: Koziol . Michael . 2 March 2022 . Sheet dreams are made of this for loo paper suppliers . The Sun-Herald .
9. Web site: Henderson . Emma . 2021-07-27 . Plastic Free July: Why we should all swap to this eco-friendly loo roll that helps to save trees . 2022-03-02 . The Independent . en.
10. News: Sirtori-Cortina . Daniela . 2022-03-29 . The Battle for Your Toilet Paper Is On . en . Bloomberg.com . 2022-05-01.
11. Web site: Wiggins . Jenny . 2022-04-22 . Who gives a crap about the rising cost of toilet paper? . 2022-05-01 . Australian Financial Review . en.
12. Web site: Skantzos . Kathy . 19 December 2020 . Who Gives a Crap gives away $5.85 million after exponential sales spike with pandemic . 2 May 2022 . News.com.au.