1%

         Why do we donate and why the 1% program?

Through our travels and our own personal life experiences we’ve come to the realization that the world is unjust. We happened to be born and raised in an environment that gave us opportunities to better our lives. Most of us can ‘choose’ where we want to spend our disposable income; drinks with friends, expensive restaurants, fancy cars, bigger house, fun hobbies, etc…..  Consumerism: Where does it stop? When is it enough? Do I really ‘need’ this new gadget? Do I really ‘need’ a fancier car? I often ask myself if I really ‘need’ something or just “want” it. There are many more people in this world that don’t have that choice than do. They work hard, they want their children to go to school, they want their family to have access to basic health care, but their environment does not provide them these basic services.

We have the chance to give hope and opportunity to others. What would make me happier? Purchasing the latest cell phone that I don’t really need as my current one is just as capable or supporting a child so that they have access to education to complete high school to better their conditions for the rest of their life? It is an obvious answer, so why don’t we do it?

          We have many reasons, but most often we tell ourselves ‘next time’ or I’ll do it when I have the extra money. Next thing we know,”next time” never comes to pass; meanwhile I have the new cell phone with all the features I’ll hardly ever use and I regularly have drinks with friends.  Other times, we look to other people to make the first move and then use it as an excuse when they don’t do anything.

          Pure and Co. has decided to start with ourselves and lead the way. We are going to make sharing our good fortunes an integral part of our lives and philosophy. We have been donating for years, but we often find ourselves donating what is left at the end of the day after the cell phone and drinks with friends. Why don’t we share our good luck first and then become a consumer if we have any extra money? This is how we came up with the 1% concept. We are going to give 1% of everything we sell. It is reasonable, (fluctuation in the price of petrol or currency movements affects our margins by more than 1%), it is measurable and it is simple. We’ve decided to donate a percentage of gross instead of donating a portion of the profit because we believe that profit is more elusive (depreciation, expense reports, etc…), gross sales are more tangible, real and measurable. We here believe in karma and it’s been said that you reap what you sow: We are sowing the seeds and hoping others follow so that real help can be given where it’s needed and at the same time maybe a little good fortune will shine on us too!

Sebastien Sirois / President and the Pure & Co team.

Who are we donating to?