Outdoor gear brand, and certified B Corporation™, Cotopaxi announced that it will respond to the devastating earthquake in Syria and Türkiye by matching up to $30,000 in customer donations to the Mercy Corps’ Syria Earthquake Response and has donated 920 sleeping bags to earthquake victims in Türkiye via the Turkish Consulate General of Los Angeles, which is mobilizing donations alongside the Turkish Consulate General of New York.
“The sheer scale of this crisis is staggering. Over 40,000 people have lost their lives, and many, many more have been displaced by this historic 7.8-magnitude earthquake. Displacement — whether by natural disaster or conflict—is a major driver of global poverty, which is the core issue of our work with the Cotopaxi Foundation,” said Davis Smith, CEO & Founder at Cotopaxi. “As a company, we are dedicated to addressing these issues not only at moments of crisis, but day in and day out.”.
From February 14 through March 2, 100% of customer donations to the Cotopaxi Foundation will go directly to Mercy Corps, to support their earthquake response efforts in Northwest Syria. Mercy Corps has worked in Syria since 2008 and is providing clean water and other essential supplies to earthquake-affected communities.
“We are grateful for Cotopaxi’s long standing partnership to provide support when and where it is needed most,” said Mercy Corps CEO Tjada D’Oyen McKenna. “Our team has worked in Syria for over a decade and mobilized quickly to begin providing urgent assistance to people in Northwest Syria affected by the earthquake. We’re meeting urgent needs by distributing clean water and supplies including blankets, solar lanterns, and hygiene kits across displacement camps and communities where we already worked. This response depends on the generosity of Cotopaxi customers and others who are demonstrating through their support that Syrians are not forgotten.”
Cotopaxi’s foundational purpose is to empower people with greater access to economic opportunities through the products they sell. They act on their purpose by partnering with vetted impact partners who invest in health, education, climate and livelihoods which are categories identified by MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) to have high potential for alleviating poverty. While their long-term focus lies in the Americas, Cotopaxi is committed to supporting their impact partners when significant and unprecedented humanitarian needs arise.
Cotopaxi’s fundraising efforts are focused on Northern Syria, which is facing a crisis upon a crisis. For 12 years, some 13 million Syrians people here have been impacted and displaced by ongoing conflict, and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warns that over five million Syrians may be displaced by the earthquake. Many of these newly displaced families were already refugees of the war. And the chronic food insecurities there will only be amplified by the earthquake.
To learn more about Mercy Corps, Cotopaxi’s partnership, and ways you can support the Syria and Türkiye Crisis, visit Cotopaxi’s blog, or donate here.
About Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi is a carbon neutral certified B Corporation that creates sustainably made outdoor gear designed to fight extreme poverty, inspire adventure, and move people to Do Good. Our Gear for GoodⓇ promise is to make gear that lasts and to have a positive social, environmental, and economic impact. By 2025, we’re committed to using repurposed, recycled, or responsible materials in all of our gear. We also allocate at least 1% of our annual revenue to the Cotopaxi Foundation, which awards grants to nonprofit partners with proven track records of alleviating poverty. Through our Foundation to date, we have reached an estimated 3.5 million individuals who live in extreme poverty. For more information please visit https://www.cotopaxi.com
