These socks provide three therapeutic food packets to malnourished children in Sub-Saharan Africa 

We're working to directly support Action Against Hunger's nutrition programs in Kenya, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Pledge now and help us reach our goal of feeding 6,000 children! 

These socks plant 30 trees in rural Ghana. 

We're working with Trees for the Future to plant trees and teach agroforestry technologies to the women and children to develop income generation, provide material for fuel and food, and protect the environment. Pledge now and help us reach our goal of planting 60,000 trees!

These socks send engineers to equip schools in Nepal

In Nepal, contaminated water sources are keeping kids out of school - because of health problems like diarrhoea, because of the need to collect water instead of go to school and because of the lack of sanitation. 

Engineers Without Borders Australia is educating people on how to identify clean water and practice good hygiene - this greatly increases the health of communities and the number of children in primary schools. Pledge to send an engineer to Nepal, to help on a project that will provide clean water to 500,000 people in Nepal.

We believe the quality standard of the humble sock has been too low for too long. So we've spared no expense on manufacturing the best socks that can be made. 

They're made from 200 needle count, organic, fair trade cotton. So it's like wearing 1000 thread count sheets on your feet, all day. Who said changing the planet needs to be uncomfortable?

They're sweat resistant too, so you won't have to change your socks between the gym and the office.

Essentially - they're probably the best socks you've ever worn. And they change the world.

With your help, we aspire to be a company that considers social responsibility as the central motivator for everything we do, rather than a guilt-ridden afterthought. From the very beginning, we wanted to ensure our entire supply chain was in alignment with this principle.

Both our manufacturer and fabric supplier were chosen as much for their outstanding pursuit of ethical standards and social responsibility as for their quality of products. Although they have numerous awards for social and environmental responsibility and have been audited by the highest governing body of ethical supply chains, we'll be sending our own representative when our socks go into production to verify these claims. We'll be posting updates - want to come for the ride?

Made in Fair Trade Conditions. Because they should be.

Made from Organic Cotton. They're grown to the Global Organic Textile Standard.

Our manufacturer is a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative and the Business Social Compliance Initiative.

Manufactured to the Confidence in Textiles standard for harmful substances.

Our factory has custom-produced the samples shown in the video and are ready to manufacture as soon as we raise the order amount with your help. We're entrepreneurs with a track record and more than ready to make this movement a reality.

Projects of this type aren't new to us. Our team includes:

• Dr. Hassan is a public health expert and qualified doctor. He's worked with the WHO across eHealth, infectious disease surveillance, Roma Healthcare, predicting what the world will be like in 2050 and planning how public health must respond. 
  
• Prashant co-founded an NGO in Nepal with Hassan and a small team of young professionals. He has also worked in Risk Management for Fidelity Investments, and in startups with some well-known entrepreneurs including the founder of ESPN 360.
  
• Adam is the marketing strategist and previous Director of our partner, Engineers Without Borders. He's worked with the Red Cross Blood Service, the Asian Development Bank and the Australian Government to tackle poverty head on. He's even spent a year working with community groups in the Philippines - helping women start businesses.
  
  

What's done already:
It's taken us nearly a year to get to this point. The ducks are all in a row and we're ready to go.

• Sock Design: We've collaborated with fashion designers that have worked on international runway shows globally to narrow down hundreds of concepts to these three. And we're looking forward to working with you guys to create more! 
• Manufacturer: We reviewed several manufacturers before settling. They've sent samples and prototypes as well as comprehensive proof of their ethical claims
• Prototypes: The prototypes have arrived and were used in the video.
• Color Confirmation: We've made a slight tweak to the environment sock and confirmed it with our manufacturer.
• Partners: We love our partners! It took months of love and care to line up the right projects so your socks directly fight poverty. It's also worth noting that not all partners we approached were ready to work with us. 

What's Next:
Here's what you'll experience with us after the campaign.

• The funds arrive (3 weeks): It takes some time for the funds to clear, but we'll be busy on the packaging in the meantime.
• Packaging design: We'll use a standard packaging type for our first batch and share the design with you.
• Confirm the order for 6000 pairs and pay the manufacturer.
• Pre production proof (3 weeks): We'll get samples of all three socks with the yarns and embroidery and share the photos with you. We need to approve these before full production gets underway.
• Wait for production (up to 90 days): It takes 90 days to manufacture this many socks. We'll be sending a representative to the factory to update you as we go
• Sock arrive at Conscious Step HQ! Landing in early 2014
• Postage (1 week): Off they go - we'll send them all around the world in a big send off.
• Fund direct impact: We'll give our partner's their share of the profit at this point. We need to clear all our manufacturing and postage costs first.
• Share the direct impact: We want to keep you up to date as your socks have impact all over the world.
• New socks, new impact. This is only the beginning, because if you've got a cause, we've got a sock. Join us for something truly amazing! 

FAQ:

I'm new to crowdfunding. How does it work?

Crowd funding is the collective effort of individuals who pool their money to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations. Every project creator sets their project's funding goal and deadline. If people like the project, they can pledge money to make it happen.

What sizes are available?

For men, our socks are universal fit, and for women, our socks universally fit large feet. 

Can women wear these socks?

Who's going to stop you?

What are the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)?

These are eight international development goals to combat poverty created by the UN in the year 2000, each with specific targets to be achieved by 2015. Check out our media page for more info on the MDGs .

What's the deal with the badge at the ankle?

These are special embroideries that represent the impact you've created and the cause you are supporting - they were inspired by the MDGs! We're beginning with hunger, education, and environment (MDG 1,2, and 7). We'll be adding more designs and more causes as we go on. 

Are the prices in US or AUD?

USD. (Could be a worse time though, right, Australia?)

Can I pick my design / cause for the Baby Steps package?

Yes, we will contact you for your preference once the campaign has ended.

• Action Against Hunger
• Trees For the Future
• Engineers Without Borders, Australia and Katie Shozi
• The indispensible intern team - Natasha, Elizabeth, Leon, and Japan
• UNSW - New South Innovations and Joshua Flannery
• LinkedIn and Rahul Mehta
• Step Change Marketing and Jeff, Ash, Simon, Glenn and Dom
• BlackCitrus VC - Pezh and Shannon
• Social Enterprises Sydney and Tatjana Co
• Indako
• Bare Hill Designs and Sarah Hill 
• Alex Patton - Sock Model
• Natasha Boyle - Sock Admirer
• Tim McGinley - Sock Model
• Jacob and Jeremy Griffiths
• Dave Katague - film maker. Excellent work. www.davekatague.com

Thank you for your support