How this Newcastle Dad is Tackling the Climate Crisis with Social Socks
Marc Bucci is this month's Man of the Moment
Tell us a bit about yourself and your background.
I’m a husband and a father of two daughters. We currently live in the North East after living in the South for more than 30 years. I would describe myself as hardworking, ambitious, and passionate about change. I’ve had many different jobs, but none compare to when I served in the British Army as a mechanic. My time serving has helped give me all of my qualities today. It taught me discipline, respect, teamwork, and punctuality, and that time is finite, so we should chase our dreams and aspire to be the best version of ourselves.
What is Social Socks?
The concept of Social Socks is to raise awareness of climate and social issues, and to give our customers an opportunity to give back and provide a greener future for future generations. We achieve this by giving 10 percent of the total sales to support different charities and planting a tree with every order. At the same time we spend time creating a premium, comfortable, long-lasting product that our customers love. That’s why all our socks have cushioned soles, arch support and seamless toes as standard.
Where did the idea come from?
Through being a father and seeing the crisis the world is in – if we don’t act soon our children won’t get to enjoy or even have the same opportunities as us. It’s alarming the amount of plastic waste that enters our oceans every year, the amount of deforestation that happens every day, and sadly the number of endangered animals that are close to becoming extinct. So I wanted to create a way of giving back, making others aware and giving them an opportunity to help. The reason for socks? Well, I’m a massive trainer collector, and I always pick my outfits from the ground up, so with good trainers, you need good matching socks!
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Where are your socks made?
Our socks are made here in the UK. We went with the UK for several reasons – to ensure the carbon footprint created by the delivery was as minimal as possible, the level of workmanship is of the highest quality using the most up-to-date technology, and, importantly, all the socks are made ethically in fair conditions.
What are your goals?
We plan to reach our bold goals of improving sustainability globally and donating £1 million to charity, supporting more charities and aligning ourselves with other businesses and individuals that share our values and passion towards sustainability and giving back. Our reputation is growing in the North East which is fantastic. We hope to continue the brand recognition across the UK and Europe, expanding into different target markets.
Why is sustainability and giving back so important to you?
There is simply no ‘Planet B’. If we do not look after what we have, what will we have in the future? More and more people want to give back and shop more sustainably but are unsure how or where to start, so if we can provide awareness and support on the small changes we can all make, then collectively, small actions turn into significant changes.
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What’s next for Social Socks?
We only launched in June 2022, and we have loads of exciting plans we want to bring to life. There are so many different styles and designs of socks we want to release, so many amazing charities we would love to help and, of course, we want to plant as many trees as possible! This summer, we want to release trainer socks to sit alongside our popular crew socks. But before that, in February, we are releasing our first ever collaboration sock with another UK-based, veteran-owned company. It’s not just any sock. Its design will spark a conversation and help raise awareness around climate change. These socks will also help plant trees here in the UK!
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What do you love most about being based in the North East?
Setting up a business takes work. There is so much to learn, and not coming from a business background it’s a steep learning curve. Living in the North East has made my journey of running a business much smoother, as it feels like there’s a real togetherness and willingness to succeed here. There is so much support available. Everyone is friendly, accommodating and willing to support above and beyond what they can offer. There are so many fantastic businesses and individuals I have worked with who are very creative and innovative.
Anything you want to add?
The support we have received since launching just over six months ago has truly been amazing. To recap the numbers for 2022, we planted 1,009 trees using Ecologi and we donated £698.58 to charity via Work For Good, of which £117.85 was raised for Tommy’s and £580.73 was raised for WWF-UK. And not forgetting eight tonnes of carbon reduction as well, which is the equivalent to 19,848 miles driven in a car. So, I would like to thank all of our customers for their support and purchases, as none of that would have been possible without them!
