Little Otter for Clean Water
Snorkeling the Conasauga in Cherokee National Forest.
The Story Behind 10% Back
I
n the summer of 2017, we spent a few months processing everything we'd read and learned about the state of the environment and climate. While the challenges faced by our planet and its people and ecosystems felt overwhelming, books like This Changes Everything, The Ecology of Commerce, Half Earth, and Project Drawdown provided a clear roadmap for the years ahead.
Chad wrote down an ambitious goal — 10 M X 22 — helping ten million people find ways to reduce their carbon footprint by the year 2022. Jess began formulating sustainable skincare and focused her work on environmental and social equity and education.
As Little Otter coalesced out of our reading, research, and long conversations had over walks through the hardwood forests of North Georgia, bike rides, and late nights in Atlanta, we thought we might be able to help begin to transform an industry — create the Patagonia of high quality skincare, if you will — shifting the status quo from a plastic centric, linear model based on quarterly earnings, to a more sustainable, circular model that's healthy for people and the planet.
Less Plastic, More Purpose
We knew we could help effect lasting change by providing healthy and sustainable skincare — while also dedicating a significant portion of each sale to organizations and non-profits who work tirelessly each day to keep our waters clean and our wild places green.
Borrowing from the 1% for the Planet initiative, we devote 10% of Little Otter's annual net revenue to groups doing clean water work around the globe. That's why you see 10% for Clean Water on every product we make.
10% Back Beneficiaries
Each season we update the organizations we're supporting and working with, and share a little bit about efforts they're pursuing with our 10% of net revenue donations. Here are a few of the non-profits and organizations you've helped us support so far:
Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
Neighborhood water watch, rain water harvest education, river cleanups, and "Filling the Water Gap" program
Environment Georgia
"Get the Lead Out" safe drinking water campaign, Clean Water Network liaison program for watersheds, EPA Clean Water funding and anti-giveaway lobbying
Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University
Global water sanitation research and initiatives
In-Kind Donations
Along with 10% back to the above organizations, your support has helped us donate thousands of our Little Otter hand sanitizers and lip balms to Georgia Conservancy, Georgia Tech College of Sciences and Covid-19 Campus Testing Team, Global Village Project, Wellstar Atlanta Medical, Ronald McDonald House, and Dream Warriors Foundation, to name a few.
100,000 Balms
Since Earth Day 2019, you've also helped us keep more than 100,000 plastic lip balm tubes out of landfills and waterways — swapped for our plastic-free, compostable, otter-approved lip balms.
Shop Small & Local
Through shopping through our buy local program, you've also helped support dozens of small and local shops and services — from eco-founders and farmers, to community co-ops and organic grocers, to holistic stylists and independent book shops — who share in our mission and vision for a more sustainable and equitable world.
Thank you.
10% Back: We calculate Net Revenue by subtracting Cost of Goods Sold from Annual Sales; in other words, the total amount that we sell in a given time period, less the cost of producing and fulfilling the Little Otter product.