Mr. Simon Griffiths is an engineer and economist turned social entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of the high-growth start-up Who Gives a Crap, a profit-for-purpose toilet paper company that uses 50% of its profits to build toilets in the developing world.
Through Simon’s university years, he spent time in Asia and Eastern and Southern Africa and found that many development organisations who were trying to have as much impact as possible, were spending 30% of their time competing for limited funding. This led Simon to search for a scalable social business that could generate funding for social projects with a product that everyone could buy. One day he walked into the bathroom, saw a 6 pack of toilet paper and had an ‘a-ha moment’ – selling toilet paper and using the profits to build toilets and calling it Who Gives A Crap.
In 2012, he and two other co-founders launched Who Gives A Crap with a crowdfunding campaign. Simon agreed to sit on a toilet on a live webfeed continuously until he had pre-sold the first $50,000 of toilet rolls. The multi-award-winning launch attracted global media attention and generated more than 2 million social media impressions.
Since launching, Who Gives A Crap has grown exponentially, primarily relying on word-of-mouth to fuel its growth. In just ten years, the company has donated more than $10 million to charities worldwide.
The sole purpose and mission of Who Gives A Crap is doing good. It is now on a mission to provide everyone in the world access to toilets and safe drinking water by 2050. With some very clever marketing and a clear vision, Simon Griffiths is hoping to change the world for good.
Recently, Simon raised $41.5 million from like-minded investors who share his same mission to take an active part in social change. With this investment, the company can extend its reach, offer new products, scale its global donations and sustainability initiatives, and find more ways to make a positive impact on the world.
Who Gives A Crap partners with eight charities including Sanergy, Splash, WaterAid, and Water For People.
Simon took something that everyone needs and used the proceeds to help people in need. In 2021, Who Gives A Crap’s donations reached an incredible $10 million. In 2020 the Australian Financial Review noted that Who Gives A Crap donated more than Qantas and Coca-Cola.
Simon is one of Australia’s most prominent social entrepreneurs. His work has been covered by countless media outlets around the world, including Forbes, The New York Times, MTV, and The Stanford Social Innovation Review. He has a double degree in Engineering and Economics from The University of Melbourne,
The Institute of Certified Management Accountants is honoured to induct Mr. Simon Griffiths to its inaugural Social Purpose Innovator Hall of Fame for his impact on social entrepreneurship and sustainability globally.