Simon Griffiths, the founder of ethical toilet paper company Who Gives a Crap, has set his sights on global sanitation, aiming to raise hundreds of millions of pounds annually to ensure everyone has access to a clean toilet. The company has already donated £11 million to clean water and sanitation projects, but Griffiths describes this as a small splash in the ocean compared to the two billion people without adequate sanitation.
From School Entrepreneur to Social Entrepreneur
Griffiths, who grew up in Perth, Australia, was always an entrepreneurial child, selling homemade sandboarding boards to friends. While he enjoyed the thrill of making money, he also felt uneasy about profiting from his peers. This discomfort with profiteering eventually led him to found Who Gives a Crap, a company that donates half of its profits to sanitation projects, often in Africa.
Company Growth and Retail Expansion
Who Gives a Crap has seen significant growth in the UK, with revenue climbing 14% to £52 million in the year to June 2025 and pre-tax profit rising 8% to £2.3 million. The company's colorful toilet rolls are now available in major retailers like Tesco and Waitrose, as well as through partners like Amazon and Deliveroo. Griffiths plans to expand further, aiming to reach as many UK households as possible through additional supermarket deals.
The company has also diversified into other cleaning products, such as bin liners and sponges, to establish a presence in households across the country. Griffiths emphasizes the importance of the brand's colorful packaging and irreverent messaging, which he says has created a strong word-of-mouth following and made the product a lifestyle staple.
Resilience Amid Economic Challenges
Despite higher price points compared to competitors like Andrex and Cushelle, Griffiths insists that customers do not see Who Gives a Crap as discretionary spending. The company has weathered previous cost-of-living pressures and continues to see strong customer retention. In response to rising fuel costs due to the Iran war and Strait of Hormuz blockade, Griffiths is investing in electric vehicles for deliveries to insulate the business from oil price shocks and reduce environmental impact.
Griffiths remains committed to his goal of achieving significant impact on the global sanitation crisis, stating that donations need to reach hundreds of millions of pounds annually to truly make a difference.
