World Vision USA Blog

FILLED WITH PURPOSE: A luxury bag brand giving back from the beginning | World Vision

Julia — Fri, 08 May 2026 04:08:31 GMT

What do golf bags and backpacks for kids in sub-Saharan Africa have in common? They’re both items Vessel Bags makes on their mission for excellence. Since its start, the company has pursued quality craftsmanship in its luxury goods brand along with significant social impact. With its “Buy a Bag, Give a Bag” program, Vessel has donated over 60,000 backpacks to kids in need around the world. “Since day one, I wanted this company to give back,” co-founder and CEO Ron Shaw explains. Their model stays simple: Every bag sold equals a backpack donated to a child in need.

Shaw remembers asking his dad, also a maker of golf bags, what the number one purpose of his company was. The answer: profitability. But something about this didn’t sit right with the younger Shaw. So when he set out to create his own line of high-quality golf bags—eventually expanding the brand with intentionally designed travel and tennis products—Shaw knew he’d make products that were filled with a different purpose. “There’s a reason we are profitable and it’s for more than ourselves. Why not give back,” he says, and “have that purpose be the reason behind the company?”

After donating backpacks to assemble World Vision Promise Packs in 2013, Vessel was all-in with World Vision. “Knowing we can give bags to an organization like World Vision who knows how to distribute the backpacks— it’s great to know that our bags go wherever they’re most needed,” says Shaw. In 2019, Vessel Bags donated 11,500 backpacks that were used to build Promise Packs for Niger, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), and Afghanistan. The company also donated 600 backpacks and assembled them into SchoolTools packs at their corporate office. Vessel’s staff distributed some of those Promise Packs— assembled with their own backpacks—to an elementary school in southern California, near their office, where over 80% of students receive meal assistance. “The smiles and the excitement on [the kids’] faces were definitely unforgettable,” says Shaw. “My goal is that World Vision never has to worry about backpacks again.”

Protecting your brand, delivering real impact: How World Vision handles product donations responsibly | World Vision

World Vision Writer — Fri, 08 May 2026 04:05:34 GMT

When disasters strike, the right goods at the right time can change everything.

A product donation, also known as a gift-in-kind (GIK), is a contribution of physical goods — anything from hygiene kits to apparel, medical supplies to educational materials, shelf-stable food, and more. For businesses, these GIK donations can include excess or returned merchandise, repackaged inventory, discontinued stock keeping units (SKUs), or imported goods disrupted by tariffs.

Each month, World Vision receives and processes over 300 full truckloads of donated goods —well over 100,000 pallets each year. With every shipment, we provide the scale and infrastructure companies rely on — and the stewardship and accountability vulnerable communities deserve.

In the U.S., our work is anchored by a network of over 3,000 trusted churches, schools, and nonprofit partners; many of which have deep, long-lasting ties in their communities. These partners help us identify needs, deliver donations with dignity, and ensure donations support — not disrupt — local efforts.

When fires broke out across the Los Angeles area in January 2025, World Vision’s U.S. Programs team quickly dispatched 40 truckloads of emergency supplies to church and community partners, helping them support families impacted by the disaster. (© 2025 World Vision/photo by Amy Van Drunen)

The role of product donations in crisis and recovery
From the first days of a disaster to the long road of rebuilding, product donations help meet urgent needs and restore stability for families.

In emergencies, pre-positioned goods are often the fastest way to respond and meet the needs of a crisis, and we have strategically located stocked warehouses around the globe. When disasters hit in the U.S. or around the world, World Vision is able to respond within 24 to 72 hours with essential goods like hygiene kits, emergency food, and essential household items. In the weeks that follow, as families rebuild their lives, donated school supplies, clothing, toys, and building materials can help restore a sense of normalcy.

Beyond immediate disaster relief, product donations help families meet needs without financial strain. When essential needs are met and families begin to rebuild their lives, donated products like building supplies enable families to use their resources toward things like education or healthcare.

Stewardship you can see through tracking — from loading dock to local distribution
Every donated item that enters World Vision’s network is registered, logged, and tracked. We steward every donation with full transparency and traceability. Our logistics and warehouse management system allows us to carefully monitor:

Intake: Register products, barcode (when needed), and log, with full documentation for taxes, compliance, and tracking.
Vetting: Match each item with high-priority programs or vetted partners. Nothing moves until its use aligns with our ethical and strategic standards.
Storage & logistics: Goods are stored in secure facilities and tracked by pallet, including racking location and distribution date. Shipments are dispatched via controlled systems.
Deployment: Partners confirm receipt, often with photographic or GPS-verified delivery. This end-to-end system ensures transparency, reduces loss, and protects donor trust.

World Vision’s superior logistics provides donors with transparency, protects against misuse, and enables rapid response in a rare case of a product recall, all while maintaining a greater than 99.5% accuracy rate.

Recall-ready and risk-aware
If a donated product is recalled due to a safety or quality concerns, World Vision acts fast. Our logistics team works with the donor to identify and locate affected inventory, notify partners, and either retrieve or destroy items based on donor and regulatory guidance.

Our recall preparedness safeguards communities — and protects your brand from reputational and regulatory risk.

Brand protection and legal peace of mind
World Vision understands what’s at stake when your brand is associated with a donated item. That’s why every GIK is governed by a legal agreement that includes donor indemnification — protecting your company from liability once goods leave your care.

Under this agreement:

You are not legally liable if a product is later implicated in a claim or issue.
World Vision assumes full responsibility for how donated goods are handled, stored, distributed, and used.

These protections shield your company from potential lawsuits, reputational harm, or regulatory complications, and they are designed to align with compliance and risk mitigation.

When you give through World Vision, you’re not just handing off inventory. You’re partnering with an organization that values integrity, stewardship, and long-term trust — just like you.

Zero tolerance for resale
World Vision maintains a strict “do not sell” policy for all donated goods. We prohibit resale, barter, or unauthorized distribution — with a zero-tolerance standard communicated clearly to all implementing partners.

To enforce this, we conduct:

Mandatory partner orientations on donation use and brand protection
Monthly reporting with examples of how goods are used
Regular site visits to ensure compliance

By upholding these standards, we protect your brand and honor the intent behind your donation by ensuring that your generosity leads to dignity, not distortion.

No dumping. No market disruption. No dependency.
Even well-intentioned donations can cause harm without careful thought. It’s a lesson the global aid sector has learned the hard way — donated clothing flooding informal markets, irrelevant goods piling up in warehouses, and aid shipments overwhelming already fragile systems.

World Vision avoids these pitfalls by putting community needs first. We don’t push product into programs. We pull only what is requested, based on:

Local market assessments
Ongoing partner feedback
Cultural, seasonal, and contextual fit

That’s why we don’t just send what we receive. We receive what we know we can distribute responsibly.

Donations as a strategic asset
Your surplus products aren’t waste. They’re assets with purpose — if handled correctly. With World Vision, your product is handled with the same level of care, compliance, and communication you expect in your own supply chain. The reality is, when goods are handled irresponsibly, risks do exist — from reputational fallout and legal exposure to unintended harm in vulnerable communities. We mitigate those risks with:

Pre-vetted distribution partners
Usage reports and delivery evidence
Brand protection as if your name were our own

With over 75 years of humanitarian experience and a presence in nearly 100 countries, World Vision has a proven infrastructure to move products quickly, safely, and strategically.

When you donate through World Vision, you’re investing in the dignity, recovery, and resilience of vulnerable communities — without compromising your operational integrity or brand reputation. It’s impact you can trust with safeguards you can count on.

Qurate Retail Group and World Vision: 10 Years of Impact

World Vision Staff — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 06:13:39 GMT

How the Qurate Retail Group and World Vision partnership has created a chain reaction of impact in the last 10 years.

In the world of retail, the emphasis is often on transactions—the act of buying and selling. But what if the retail business could be something more? What if, while meeting consumer demand for quality products and generating profit, a company could have a ripple effect, helping children and families in need? This question has been at the heart of Qurate Retail Group’s (QRG) decade-long partnership with World Vision.

It began, as many initiatives do, with a small team and a big idea. Ten years ago, two QRG employees found themselves grappling with a dual challenge: improving warehouse efficiency and contributing meaningfully to the community. It was a practical problem, yet it also held the potential to create a chain reaction of impact. The solution they found was both practical and impactful—partnering with World Vision to repurpose surplus goods, extending product life cycle while helping vulnerable children and families.

Qurate Retail Group is a leading global retailer known for its multimedia commerce platforms, which include television networks, digital streaming services, and e-commerce websites. The company operates well-known brands such as QVC, HSN, and several others, reaching millions of customers worldwide. QRG is recognized for its innovative shopping experiences, blending entertainment with retail, and offering a wide range of products including fashion, home goods, electronics, and beauty items.

But they also take seriously a commitment to a more sustainable approach to retail that is intentionally inclusive, entrepreneurially driven, responsibly curated, and waste-smart. “We’re committed to giving back to the communities we serve,” reflects Suzanne Quigley, director of global corporate responsibility at Qurate Retail Group. “We do this through corporate philanthropy, product donations, team member giving, and volunteerism.”

Over the past decade, what started as a modest partnership with World Vision has grown into a powerful program for good. To date, Qurate Retail Group has donated 30,000 pallets of product, valued at $60 million, through World Vision. These donations have reached hundreds of thousands of people across 35 countries, helping communities in need with resources like clothing and household items. In the United States alone, QRG’s donations have touched lives in 29 states, offering hope and support to those who need it most.

But the impact of this partnership extends beyond the immediate benefits of the donated goods. It’s about more than just the number of pallets shipped or the dollar value of the products—though those numbers are impressive. It’s about the ripple effect that these donations create, the way they uplift communities and inspire further acts of generosity.

“Our entire team is extremely proud of our partnership with World Vision,” Suzanne says. “And we’re inspired to keep up the momentum of being a force for good in the world. Through our dedicated focus on community and social impact, our Global Impact team seeks to embed inclusion, sustainability, and social responsibility into all aspects of our business. Our partnership with World Vision is a perfect example of this commitment in action.”

In 2023 alone, World Vision distributed 4,262 pallets of QRG product to communities in need. This effort is just one facet of a broader strategy to use business as a catalyst for change. In addition to product donations, QRG also provided a monetary donation to World Vision’s Women’s Empowerment Fund. This initiative helps women overcome poverty and income inequality. It’s a way to equip women with the resources and support they need to build a better life for themselves and their families.

“Supporting these impactful programs helps fuel economic growth and empowerment on a global scale,” Suzanne explains. “It’s about creating opportunities and opening doors for those who might otherwise be left behind.”

Indeed, the Women’s Empowerment Fund is a powerful example of how targeted, strategic philanthropy can drive long-term change. By investing in women, who are often the backbone of their communities, QRG and World Vision are helping create a more equitable world—one where everyone has the chance to thrive. Qurate Retail Group has already contributed over $148 million to worthy causes since 2020. Even in the fast-paced retail industry, there’s room for a deep commitment to the greater good. And in a world where the challenges from poverty and inequality can feel insurmountable, the partnership between QRG and World Vision offers an open door of possibilities. It’s proof that when business and philanthropy come together with a shared vision, the impact can be truly transformative.

When Floodwaters Rise: The Impact of Hurricane Helene

World Vision Staff — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 06:11:22 GMT

As Hurricane Helene drew near to their Swannanoa, North Carolina, home, Jim and Allie Bourdy prepared. Jim cleaned out the gutters. He installed a sump pump in their crawlspace. “We were expecting to lose power, and that was it. … we stocked up on puzzles. We got our favorite board games out on the table. We had flashlights, we had candles,” says Allie. “We were ready for a rainstorm, but not ready for surviving our life that morning.”

Swannanoa is located on the Swannanoa River, a small waterway that normally runs about 18 inches to 2 feet deep. On the morning of September 27, the river rose fast, climbing over its banks to cross a five-lane highway and reaching houses on the other side. Only 20 minutes after the water measured midway up their shins, it reached the roofline. The couple clung to the gutters and foam exercise equipment that doubled as flotation devices.

Eventually, they pulled themselves up onto a neighbor’s roof where they waited until kayaking neighbors rescued them and took them to higher ground for safety.

After Helene’s floodwaters receded, Jim returned to their home to collect a few necessities they’d left behind. When he entered, his heart sank. Furniture was overturned, a chair hung from a chandelier, silt was everywhere, and the bathroom looked like someone had painted it with mud and water.

“It just kind of looked like all our possessions got just shook up and just thrown all over the place with mud all over it,” he says. “And it was just heartbreaking seeing that and knowing that the life that we’ve built here for the last seven years just wasn’t the same and would never be.”

Having stretched their budget to purchase the home, Jim and Allie knew they didn’t have the funds necessary to rebuild. “We had barely enough savings [to] replace a car if we had to,” Jim says, “[let alone] replacing and remodeling a house from the studs. We had no concept of what that looked like.”

Their homeowner’s insurance wouldn’t cover the damage because, like more than 99% of homeowners in the greater Asheville area, they didn’t have a flood policy, nor would they have qualified because they don’t live in an area that’s deemed a flood zone.

The two felt overwhelmed by everything they needed to do to rebuild their home and their lives. But things were about to improve. One night they were out getting a hot meal at a local church when they ran into a college friend who’s a contractor — Chris Cronin — who wanted to help them rebuild.

Chris and his business partner have plans to work on four houses in this devastated neighborhood. They’re one of the local partners that World Vision is teaming up with to rebuild 150 homes in the area.

“World Vision has donated pretty much all of our building material,” says Chris. “We’ve got a huge framing drop happening next week where we’ll get all our subfloor. We’ll get all the new floor joists and two-by-fours for the walls. And then they’re going to donate all the insulation, the drywall, the flooring.”

Across Western North Carolina, many families just like Jim and Allie, face similar devastation. But across the nation, generous corporate donors such as Ace Hardware, Lowes, Costco, and Culligan and their Culligan Cares Team are answering the call for help and sending building materials and supplies through World Vision to help ease the burden on families who are trying to dig out from under Hurricane Helene’s wreckage.

These corporate partnerships have allowed World Vision to work with local organizations to develop a plan for rebuilding up to 150 homes in the Greater Asheville area, focusing on the hardest hit mountain towns like Chimney Rock and Jim and Allie’s community in Swannanoa.

“Even the smallest things that we don’t have to pay out of pocket for is the biggest blessing to us,” says Allie. “Your contributions and donations have meant the world to us.”

Corporations coming together with World Vision means that families hit hard by Hurricane Helene have a hope of rebuilding without intense financial hardship.

Supplies still needed as part of the ongoing rebuilding process include items such as drywall; subflooring; insulation walls and flooring; electrical outlets, boxes, and switches; kitchen cabinets; interior doors; ceiling fans; bathroom and kitchen faucets; and bathroom vanities.

If your company would like to partner in World Vision’s response to Hurricane Helene, click here for more information.

Protecting your brand, delivering real impact: How World Vision handles product donations responsibly

World Vision Staff — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 05:58:35 GMT

When disasters strike, the right goods at the right time can change everything.

The role of product donations in crisis and recovery
From the first days of a disaster to the long road of rebuilding, product donations help meet urgent needs and restore stability for families.

Intake: Register products, barcode (when needed), and log, with full documentation for taxes, compliance, and tracking.
Vetting: Match each item with high-priority programs or vetted partners. Nothing moves until its use aligns with our ethical and strategic standards.
Storage & logistics: Goods are stored in secure facilities and tracked by pallet, including racking location and distribution date. Shipments are dispatched via controlled systems.
Deployment: Partners confirm receipt, often with photographic or GPS-verified delivery. This end-to-end system ensures transparency, reduces loss, and protects donor trust.

Our recall preparedness safeguards communities — and protects your brand from reputational and regulatory risk.

Under this agreement:

You are not legally liable if a product is later implicated in a claim or issue.
World Vision assumes full responsibility for how donated goods are handled, stored, distributed, and used.

These protections shield your company from potential lawsuits, reputational harm, or regulatory complications, and they are designed to align with compliance and risk mitigation.

When you give through World Vision, you’re not just handing off inventory. You’re partnering with an organization that values integrity, stewardship, and long-term trust — just like you.

To enforce this, we conduct:

Mandatory partner orientations on donation use and brand protection
Monthly reporting with examples of how goods are used
Regular site visits to ensure compliance

By upholding these standards, we protect your brand and honor the intent behind your donation by ensuring that your generosity leads to dignity, not distortion.

World Vision avoids these pitfalls by putting community needs first. We don’t push product into programs. We pull only what is requested, based on:

Local market assessments
Ongoing partner feedback
Cultural, seasonal, and contextual fit

That’s why we don’t just send what we receive. We receive what we know we can distribute responsibly.

Pre-vetted distribution partners
Usage reports and delivery evidence
Brand protection as if your name were our own

With over 75 years of humanitarian experience and a presence in nearly 100 countries, World Vision has a proven infrastructure to move products quickly, safely, and strategically.

Rebuilding Homes, Restoring Hope: Introducing The Storehouse Project

World Vision Staff — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 05:52:07 GMT

DIY disaster relief: How Ace Hardware and World Vision are proving the value of philanthropic partnerships in times of crisis

World Vision Staff — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 19:35:48 GMT

In the history of American retail, few names evoke a sense of community, quality, and resilience quite like Ace Hardware. Founded in 1924, this retailer-owned cooperative has not only survived but thrived for more than a century, evolving into a network of over 5,000 stores across the United States. Each store, while part of the larger Ace family, retains its unique character, often tailored to the specific needs of its local community. This decentralized model allows for a remarkable degree of flexibility — it’s not uncommon to find surfboards in a California Ace store or farming supplies in a Wisconsin location. In Chicago, you might even discover locally sourced honey on the shelves.

This cooperative structure means that individual store owners are shareholders. The reason many families open Ace stores is because they are already deeply embedded in their communities. They make autonomous decisions about inventory and, notably, about which local causes to support. This grassroots approach to philanthropy has been a hallmark of Ace’s community engagement.

Fast forward to 2024, a year that marked both Ace Hardware’s 100th anniversary and a series of devastating hurricanes that ravaged the Southeastern United States. In the aftermath of these natural disasters, a question arose among Ace’s retailers and corporate staff: “What can we do?” This simple inquiry set in motion a partnership with World Vision, who Ace already had a volunteerism partnership with.

Christine Doucet, Director of Communications, Engagement and the Ace Foundation, recalls the initiative’s inception:

“It was clear that our retailers and our staff wanted to help, not just with monetary donations, but with supplying needed product, as well as their time and effort. And World Vision was direct and clear. They provided an exact list of products needed for hurricane relief, and we looked at what we had stocked in our warehouses, created a donation website and the Ace Disaster Relief Bucket was born.”

Ace retailers and employees sponsored 1,000 hurricane disaster relief buckets at $40 each in less than 24 hours. These buckets were filled with essential cleaning supplies like gloves, masks, sponges, and disinfectants. Following this rapid achievement, they introduced ‘hurricane relief bundles,’ and 1,368 of them were sponsored over the next week. These bundles included essential tools such as shovels, rakes, heaters, and ladders, amounting to pallets upon pallets of supplies.

Once the buckets and bundles were sponsored, next came the assembly. The enthusiasm among employees was palpable. Ninety-eight volunteer spots to assemble the buckets filled up in about two hours, with a waitlist forming soon after. Looking back, Christine reflected:

“We were overwhelmed by the number of employees who wanted to help and who sent words of thanks and even posted on their social media noting how proud they were to give back at work.”

This partnership with World Vision was a win-win-win for everyone. Christine emphasizes the importance of having a reliable partner in such endeavors:

“We were able to pull this off because World Vision made it easy. I think many organizations are hesitant to jump in and help because of the extra logistics that make the disaster relief work harder. When you have a good partner, helping doesn’t have to be hard. World Vision helped make our efforts easy and meaningful.”

The collaboration also highlighted the strengths of both organizations. Ace’s ability to quickly obtain the needed products and engaged employees provided the human effort and connections, while World Vision’s established supply chain and logistics expertise ensured that the aid quickly and efficiently reached those in need. This was a critical piece because Ace needed to keep their supply chain focused on serving their stores and customers in the affected areas.

After the buckets were assembled, three Ace Hardware field staff members — Mark Mayes, Brian Raymond, and Grayson Taylor — joined World Vision staff on the ground in Asheville, North Carolina, to distribute supplies and assist with clean-up and rebuilding efforts. They witnessed both the devastation wrought by the hurricane and the hope brought by the collective efforts of corporations and volunteers.

Christine, moved by the stories she heard, said, ” The team that went to Asheville was able to share that experience with others upon their return – it’s not often you get to see the actual beneficiaries of your donation, so it was an incredibly impactful experience for them.”

In times of crisis, it takes all of us to weather the storm and to rebuild. Key partnerships enable us to do more than we could do alone. The collaboration between Ace and World Vision highlights the reality that support extends beyond monetary donations; it involves meaningful engagement, leveraging strengths, and fostering a sense of shared purpose.

HIT + World Vision

rshumaker@worldvision.org (Russ Shumaker) — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 21:04:04 GMT

Advancing Sustainability Through Responsible Product Donation

Company Snapshot

Industry: Consumer goods
Focus: Sustainability, resource conservation, and responsible disposition of unwanted products

The Challenge

Like many consumer‑goods companies, HIT faced the challenge of managing unwanted but usable products in a way that aligned with its sustainability and social‑responsibility goals. Traditional disposal or liquidation options conflicted with HIT’s commitment to waste reduction and environmental stewardship. The company sought a partner that could help ensure excess products were used responsibly, not wasted, while also contributing to positive social outcomes.

The Solution: Product Donations with World Vision

HIT partnered with World Vision to donate unwanted products through World Vision’s established product‑donation infrastructure.

World Vision leveraged its global and local connections to place donated products where they were needed and valued
World Vision managed distribution in accordance with its brand‑protection and stewardship standards
The partnership positioned product donation as part of HIT’s broader ESG and sustainability strategy

The Impact

Donated products were redirected away from waste streams and into responsible use
The partnership supported World Vision’s mission to serve vulnerable children and families through its humanitarian and community‑based work
HIT’s product donation efforts contributed to environmental sustainability by extending product life and reducing waste

Why It Works for HIT

Sustainability: Reduces waste and supports responsible resource management
Operational simplicity: World Vision provides the infrastructure and expertise to manage product donation at scale
Social responsibility: Aligns environmental goals with meaningful social impact
Credibility: World Vision’s trusted global and local network ensures donated products are handled appropriately

Executive Perspective

Natalie Sheffey, Business Sustainability Manager at HIT, has stated:

“Preventing waste is only the beginning of how World Vision assists our company in becoming more sustainable. Their consistent global and local connections enable us to send unwanted products to places where they are valued.”

Key Takeaway for Other Companies

HIT’s partnership with World Vision demonstrates how product donation can be a practical ESG lever, helping companies reduce waste, meet sustainability goals, and ensure unwanted products are put to good use through a trusted nonprofit partner.

Qurate Retail Group + World Vision: A Case Study

rshumaker@worldvision.org (Russ Shumaker) — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:49:58 GMT

Scaling Retail Product Donations to Strengthen Communities

Company Snapshot

Industry: Global retail and e‑commerce
Brands: Includes large‑scale consumer retail platforms (QVC, HSN, and others)
Focus: Community impact, sustainability, and responsible inventory management

The Challenge

As a global retail organization, Qurate Retail Group manages significant volumes of consumer products across multiple brands and channels. Excess inventory and returned goods present both a cost challenge and a sustainability concern. Qurate sought a way to increase warehouse efficiencies while impacting communities. They needed a product donation program that was aligned with its commitment to social impact while ensuring donated goods were distributed safely and effectively.

The Solution: Product Donation with World Vision

Qurate partnered with World Vision to donate consumer products through World Vision’s established product‑donation infrastructure.

World Vision managed intake, logistics, and distribution
Donated products were distributed through World Vision’s vetted partner network to communities in need
In addition to product donations, Qurate supported World Vision through targeted financial contributions, including support for the Women’s Empowerment Fund

The Impact

4,262 pallets of Qurate product distributed in 2023 alone
Products reached communities in need through World Vision’s programs and partner organizations
Financial support to the Women’s Empowerment Fund helped advance economic opportunity and empowerment for women and families facing poverty

Why It Works for Qurate Retail Group

Sustainability: Diverts usable product from waste while extending product life
Operational efficiency: World Vision handles logistics and distribution at scale
Community impact: Product and financial contributions support vulnerable families and women‑led initiatives
Brand alignment: Reinforces Qurate’s stated commitment to inclusion, sustainability, and social responsibility

Executive Perspective

Qurate leaders have publicly expressed pride in the partnership, noting that collaboration with World Vision allows the company to embed social impact and sustainability into its business operations while uplifting communities.

Key Takeaway for Other Companies

Qurate Retail Group’s partnership with World Vision demonstrates how large‑scale retailers can integrate product donation into their core sustainability and community‑impact strategies, combining operational efficiency with meaningful social outcomes.

Clario + World Vision: A Case Study

rshumaker@worldvision.org (Russ Shumaker) — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 07:49:41 GMT

Repurposing Medical and Mobile Devices to Advance Health and Education

Company Snapshot

Industry: Clinical research and healthcare technology
Focus: Endpoint technology and medical devices for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical‑device partners
Business Context: Managing used but functional medical and mobile devices following clinical trials and internal refresh cycles

The Challenge

Following clinical trials and technology refresh cycles, Clario identified a set of used but functional medical devices—including electrocardiogram (ECG) machines—that were no longer needed for active research. Traditional disposal or recycling would have prematurely ended the useful life of these devices and conflicted with Clario’s environmental and social responsibility commitments. Clario sought a socially and environmentally responsible way to repurpose this equipment while ensuring proper stewardship and impact.

The Solution: Donate Product to World Vision

In 2021, Clario partnered with World Vision’s Corporate Engagement team to facilitate the donation of 50 ECG machines that had been used in clinical trials. World Vision coordinated the intake and placement of these devices through its health programs, directing them to areas of greatest need where access to medical equipment was limited.

Following this initial donation, Clario has made additional product donations, including cell phones and tablets, working through World Vision as its nonprofit distribution partner.

The Impact

Healthcare: Donated ECG machines were placed through World Vision health programs in response to increased demand for cardiac equipment following the COVID‑19 pandemic
Education (U.S.): Donated tablets were distributed by World Vision to literacy and education partners serving high‑need schools and children living in poverty in the United States
Border communities: One partner, Urban Strategies, used donated tablets to support children at the U.S./Mexico border, enabling continued learning in highly unstable conditions

Why It Works for Clario

Environmental responsibility: Extends the lifecycle of medical and mobile devices that would otherwise be discarded
Operational simplicity: World Vision manages logistics, partner placement, and stewardship
Brand and compliance confidence: Devices are distributed through vetted programs aligned with humanitarian and educational needs
ESG alignment: Supports Clario’s stated commitment to environmental, social, and governance goals

Executive Perspective

According to Franziska Rieß, Director of Business Process Improvement at Clario, World Vision “makes it easy for us to achieve our business and sustainability targets” by enabling Clario to reduce its environmental footprint through the donation and upcycling of medical and mobile devices.

Key Takeaway for Other Companies

Clario’s partnership with World Vision demonstrates how regulated industries can responsibly donate used but functional medical and technology assets, extending product lifecycles while delivering meaningful health and education outcomes through a trusted nonprofit partner.