14 Innovative Companies Changing the World

By The Culture-ist

Innovation is necessary in our changing world. Here are a few companies that are proving that a small idea can make a big difference.

• Edesia

  By The Culture-ist

  [Edesia](http://www.edesiaglobal.org/) has developed Ready-to-use-Foods to help fight acute malnutrition around the world. The organization's facilities are located in areas with high unemployment rates to support local communities.

• Code Club World

  By The Culture-ist

  [CodeClubWorld.org](http://codeclubworld.org/) has created a network of coding clubs for schools around the world by providing education, project materials and volunteering frameworks for local communities.

• Tesla Motors

  By The Culture-ist

  Not only is [Tesla](http://www.teslamotors.com/en_CA) the first company to develop an electric car to gain traction in the market, but the company is also the first to develop a network that allows for extended trips with electric cars.

• Braskem

  By The Culture-ist

  Brazil-based [Braskem](http://www.braskem.com/site.aspx/braskem-united-states) takes the petroleum oil out of plastics manufacturing, using sugarcane, instead. Their method actually extracts carbon dioxide out of the air instead of creating it.

• Bookshare

  By The Culture-ist

  [Bookshare](https://www.bookshare.org/) is an organization that focuses on bringing the joy of reading to those with print disabilities by making print materials, including newspapers & books, accessible. 

• Bloomberg Philanthropies

  By The Culture-ist

  [Bloomberg Philanthropies](http://www.bloomberg.org/) uses its strength in data collection and analysis to consistently create efficient, data-driven solutions to large-scale social problems, from smoking to over-fishing.

• Sanergy

  By The Culture-ist

  [Sanergy](http://saner.gy/) is developing sanitation centers in African slums. These centers turn waste into electricity, but they're not stopping there. The company is moving towards using waste to make actual products.

• MaRS

  By The Culture-ist

  While most other companies on this list directly work to improve society, [MaRS ](http://www.marsdd.com/)takes a different approach—they help socially innovative companies grow & excel, working to support innovative startups.

• Peepoople

  By The Culture-ist

  Although their name may seem silly, this cause is anything but. [Peepoople](http://www.peepoople.com/) developed a single-use, self-sanitizing, fully biodegradable toilet that helps prevent the spread of disease in urban slums.

• Enable Talk

  By The Culture-ist

  The winner of Microsoft's Imagine Cup 2012, [E](http://enabletalk.com/)[nable Talk](http://enabletalk.com/)  utilizes a pair of sensored gloves to interpret sign language into speech, assisting the deaf in navigating a speech-oriented world.

• Patagonia

  By The Culture-ist

  [Patagonia](http://www.patagonia.com/ca/home) has long been known as one of the most environmentally-friendly brands on the planet. Now, the retailer has set aside $20 million a year to support startups that want to follow suit.

• E-nabling the Future

  By The Culture-ist

  [E-nabling](http://enablingthefuture.org/) is a network of 3D printing enthusiasts and experts who are developing prosthetic hands for those in need in their local communities, all at a fraction of the cost of a regular prosthetic.

• APOPO

  By The Culture-ist

  HeroRATS are used on the battlefield to sniff out landmines. [APOPO](http://www.apopo.org/home.php) has found a new way for these rats to save lives—by training the rats to sniff out Tuberculosis in human cells to improve diagnosis.

• BioLite

  By The Culture-ist

  [BioLite](http://biolitestove.com/) creates wood-powered stoves that capture excess heat from the fires to charge cell-phones and LED lights for a more efficient use of energy, particularly in third-world countries.