Flushing for Good: How Who Gives A Crap Is Turning Toilet Paper Into a Global Force for Change

You buy toilet paper because you need it, not because it feels meaningful. But Who Gives A Crap asks you to look at that “routine restock” differently. When you choose a brand built around giving, your purchase can support work that helps communities access safer sanitation and hygiene.

In a market full of products that claim to be “better,” this company makes a clear promise. It donates 50% of its profits to water, sanitation, and hygiene projects. That means the business grows when you and other customers keep buying, and the impact grows with it.

The business that gives back

You don’t have to decode a complicated charity program here. The model is simple: make a quality, sustainable product, sell it directly to customers, and give half the profits to partners working on sanitation and clean water access.

Who Gives A Crap says it has raised more than AUD $18 million to date. It frames that number as proof that small, repeat purchases can add up fast when the mission is built into the business.

This approach also changes what “support” looks like. Instead of being asked to donate separately, you’re supporting progress through a product you already use. For you, it’s a swap in a shopping habit. For communities in need, it can help fund projects that improve health and dignity.

Why sanitation is still a global challenge

Sanitation is easy to ignore until it isn’t available. When toilets, clean water, and hygiene systems break down, the effects spread quickly. Illness rises, time is lost, and families carry burdens that shouldn’t exist in the first place.

The human cost is not abstract. More than 1.4 million deaths per year are linked to poor sanitation and unsafe water, and many of these outcomes are preventable. When you understand the scale, it becomes clear why sanitation is not just “infrastructure.” It’s public health.

You can also see how the impact is uneven. Women, children, and people with disabilities often face greater risks and fewer options. Privacy and safety become daily concerns when there aren’t secure, accessible toilets.

Here are a few core issues that make sanitation so urgent:

• Contaminated water sources caused by untreated waste
  
  

• Increased disease spread in densely populated areas without reliable toilets
  
  

• Safety and dignity concerns when people have no private facilities
  
  

• Environmental pressure when systems are inadequate or unmanaged
  
  

Partnering for change

You might assume a brand like this tries to “do it all” itself. Instead, you’re seeing a partnership model that focuses on funding specialists. Who Gives A Crap supports nonprofit organizations that already have experience building and maintaining sanitation programs.

Examples often associated with its work include:

• Fresh Life (formerly Sanergy): sanitation solutions designed for dense urban communities
  
  

• WaterAid Australia: programs and advocacy that support sanitation and hygiene access
  
  

• Water For People: long-term, community-led approaches to water and sanitation services
  
  

What matters for you is the approach behind the names. Effective sanitation work tends to last when communities can own it, maintain it, and adapt it. Funding supports more than construction. It supports training, local leadership, and long-term stability.

Eco-conscious inside and out

If you care about impact, you probably care about materials too. Who Gives A Crap highlights products made from recycled paper or FSC-certified bamboo. The goal is to reduce reliance on virgin forest fibers and limit unnecessary waste.

The sustainability story doesn’t stop at what’s on the roll. The brand also emphasizes choices like plastic-free packaging, carbon-neutral shipping, and investment in renewable energy. When you buy from a company that treats sustainability as part of the product, you’re not forced to choose between “doing good” and “doing less harm.”

How you fit into the mission

The most practical part of this model is how little it asks you to change. You don’t need a new routine. You just need a different default brand. Each order becomes one more contribution to programs that support safer sanitation.

You’re also not buying into a joyless “ethical” product. The brand’s tone is playful, and the packaging is designed to be noticed. That matters because people stick with products that feel good to use and easy to keep in the house.

If you want to learn more about the product options, subscriptions, or impact updates, the clearest place to start is the brand’s official Who Gives A Crap website. That’s where you can see how it explains the giving model and the materials it uses.

The bottom line

You don’t usually expect toilet paper to stand for anything. But when you choose a brand that donates 50% of profits, you’re turning a basic purchase into a repeat contribution. It’s not flashy, and that’s the point.

For you, it’s a small switch with low effort. For the organizations doing sanitation work, it’s ongoing funding that can help projects last. In this model, every wipe still counts—because you’re helping make the essentials more accessible for someone else.