California-based baby lifestyle brand Munchkin, Inc. has allocated a $1 million donation to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), according to a press release. The company is listed as the primary investor in the fund’s Room to Roam Initiative.
“Safeguarding the world’s most vulnerable creatures is ingrained in Munchkin’s ethos. Each year, we challenge ourselves to grow our efforts related to animal and plant conservation and believe that a culmination of many little things truly adds up to make a big difference,” Diana Barnes, chief brand officer, creative director and head of corporate social responsibility at Munchkin, said.
The initiative was created to fund the leasing of 90,000 acres of endangered African territory needed to protect the elephants and ensure their ability to migrate and survive. Specifically, the funds will be allocated toward the leasing of land based in Northwestern Zimbabwe between Victoria Falls and Hwange National Park.
Munchkin’s efforts to protect human and animal families are detailed in the company's sustainability report.
According to the 2023 sustainability report, the contribution comes a few months after the release of Munchkin’s line of bamboo feeding products, designed to lower the use of traditional plastics and greenhouse emissions.
“That’s why we joined IFAW in its initiative to protect endangered territory and continue our work to reduce carbon emissions, plant millions of trees and innovate our products and packaging to become an ever-more sustainable organization,” Barnes said.
Serving as the only baby lifestyle brand member of the United Nations Global Compact, Munchkin works in collaboration with The United Nations Emissions Program to reduce carbon emissions worldwide. The company also funded the establishment of one million trees last year.
“Climate change, the rising human population and the prevalence of poaching – the primary cause of elephant population decline – all threaten the existence of African bush elephants. In fact, more than 90% of this species has disappeared,” the release stated.