The ‘one for one’ business model has been getting a lot of attention recently. Companies such as Toms and Roma Boots are built around the model, giving a pair of shoes to someone in need for every pair sold.

Toms advertisement; Image Source

Other ‘one for one’ companies have a different approach. United by Blue , for example, pledges to remove one pound of trash from oceans and waterways for every product sold. In short, a ‘one for one’ company gives customers a philanthropic incentive to buy their product. This leads some to believe these companies are more interested in selling their products than they are in genuinely helping people. According to one critic, “Toms isn’t designed to build the economies of developing countries. It’s designed to make western consumers feel good.” This claim is somewhat valid. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Giving away shoes, or removing trash,  won’t solve any deep rooted economic, social, or political issues. But that doesn’t make it any less valid. While I agree that it has its faults, the ‘one for one’ business model is truly helping people around the world, and a short term solution is better than nothing.