Simon Griffiths

Co-founder and CEO, Who Gives A Crap

National Finalist in EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Australia

Simon gives a crap about the global sanitation crisis. The size of the crap he gives is evidenced by the 50 hours he spent sitting on a toilet on a live web feed as part of a crowdfunding campaign to raise $50,000 for his company’s first production run.

Who Gives A Crap is a social enterprise that produces, among other products, toilet paper from 100% recycled paper or bamboo. All of its products, which are currently delivered to nearly 40 countries, are all plastic-free. Who Gives A Crap also offers carbon-neutral shipping.

Who Gives A Crap donates 50% of its profits to the global drive to ensure that everybody has access to clean water and safe toilets – a basic human right.

The organisation is recognised for its high levels of environmental and social impact. It has donated over $12 million to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) partners. It has sold enough product to have prevented more than 1,000,000 trees from being cut down to make toilet paper.

Who Gives A Crap continues to grow, launching new products under its sister brand, Good Time, expanding its consumer reach through supermarket placements and expanding of their international community. Who Gives A crap has expanded into the US, UK and Europe market.

Simon attributes much of Who Gives A Crap’s success to following the best advice he ever received, that culture is king. To be the best company, you have to attract the best talent. At scale, the reason people come to work for you over a competitor is your culture. But as culture is hard to correct, you have to take it very seriously from the beginning.

Simon’s personal motto is that doing good is good for business. He’s convinced that Who Gives A Crap would not have been able to achieve the scale that it has if it did not give away 50% of its profits.