100% for the Planet! What does that mean?

Hello, I’m Amanda, the only employee at The Brighton Socks Company. I’ll always be the only employee here, because the business model I use for Brighton Socks is a little bit different.

I believe it's no longer sustainable or ethical to set out to make loads of cash, just for the hell of it. That kind of thinking is based on a style of Capitalism that promotes an entitlement to big houses, fast cars and flashy foreign holidays, where business is generally only about rapid growth and financial gain. But that just doesn’t feel right anymore. We now know that "Old Capitalism", with all its waste, pollution and excessive consumerism, feeds directly into the climate crisis. But as flawed and outdated as it so clearly is, Capitalism is still the only system we’ve got. So the Brighton Socks business model isn’t an alternative to Capitalism, it just offers an alternative way to do Capitalism. And until I think of something better, I've given this a working title of "New Capitalism".

In a nutshell, The Brighton Socks Co. gives away 100% of profits. After taking a capped salary in line with Brighton's Real Living Wage, as well as covering the deliberately minimal business running costs, I donate what's leftover to a local not-for-profit organisation working hard to promote and support a low carbon lifestyle. On average, around £4 per pair of socks sold, therefore, has the potential to do something amazing. Plus, I make The Brighton Socks Co. accounts freely available to log into and view any time you like. This means I’ve created a completely transparent business environment to demonstrate that I’m neither greenwashing nor making false promises, and this makes me wholly accountable to you. Whereas conventional businesses keep their accounts under lock and key, I call my way of doing things “radical transparency”. Radical, because this poses a challenge to the "Old Capitalism" way of doing things. And yes, I did say 100% of profits.

100% for the Planet? Sounds a bit bonkers, right? But think of it like this: you need some nice, new socks. You can buy them from a large, conventional retailer where the profits line the pockets of the already wealthy shareholders; or, you can buy a comparable pair from The Brighton Socks Co., where the profits are given away to support what I call (unofficially) “the cause”. So I'm very proud to announce that 100% of Brighton Socks' profits are given to the Low Carbon Trust.

And just so you know, the business model I use at The Brighton Socks Co. can be applied to literally any product or service you can think of. Check out what my brother James is up to over at Evrythng.

Imagine a world where every business or service gives away 100% for the Planet! I can.

Ps. if you'd like to see The Brighton Socks Co. accounts, or for anything else sock related, just email amanda@brightonsocks.com

Thanks for reading this far...

Amanda xx