Me to We Partners with Staples and ACCO Brands to Revolutionize Back-to-School Shopping

Photo: courtesy of Me to We

In what might be a first of its kind initiative, Canadian parents are being given an opportunity to enrich the opportunities of impoverished children around the world while purchasing back to school supplies at the same time.

Me to We, an innovative social enterprise that offers socially conscious products and services which address issues of positive social change,  in partnership with Staples and ACCO Brands, have launched a line of eco-friendly school supplies with an impact.

Each product purchased, from a line-up of 16 different back to school items gives a life-changing gift directly to a child or family in a Free The Children community overseas, so they are free to learn without battling against hunger, thirst, disease and financial restraints.

The line up of school supplies extends from backpacks and lunch bags, to tablet sleeves and notebooks.  All products are made from recycled materials like recycled plastic bottles and post consumer paper.  As part of Me to We’s transparency-minded Track Your Impact initiative all products come with a unique 8-digit code for buyers to track exactly where their purchase provides a life-changing gift.

SEE ALSO: 10 Great Eco-Friendly Back to School Tips

Each product provides a different gift. Backpacks give students overseas school supplies for one year; binders ensure a tree will be planted; lunch bags will give a child healthy meals and reusable water bottles provide one year of clean drinking water for one person, among other gifts.

Me to We school supplies come in a variety of bright colours and patterns. Consumers can choose between vibrant colour streams, playful bursts of graphics and inspiring scripts. With today’s youth in mind, the line is designed to take students from the classroom, to cafeteria and through to afterschool activities. Prices range from $1.50 – $29.96 CAD.

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Back to school can be a time of excitement for children and parents alike.  It can also sadly be an occasion where conspicuous consumption can create a detrimental impact on our environment.  However with an initiative such as what has been created by Me to We, Staples and Acco brands, it provides an example of how customary traditions of our modern society can have a positive and sustainable impact on impoverished areas around the world.

 

Eric Novak

About Eric Novak

Eric Novak is a father of 4 who also thinks that environmental stewardship is a requisite of parenting. He's not a professional Dad nor is he an environmental scientist, but he's someone who gives a damn and is trying to make the right decisions as he lives his life as a father, environmentalist, part time professor and business owner. Eric has 4 children and resides in Ajax, Ontario.