Giving Bag
Giving Bag is a privately held B2B hospitality company founded in 2013 that provides luxury and boutique hotels with OEKO-TEX certified donation bags for guest rooms, enabling travelers to donate unwanted items to local charities while streamlining lost-and-found and waste operations across 15 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Giving Bag does
Giving Bag is a privately held B2B hospitality amenity company founded in 2013 by Quinn Cox and Lilia Karimi as a project at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, where it won a sustainability competition. The company provides a donation collection system consisting of 100% cotton OEKO-TEX certified reusable bags placed in hotel guest rooms, enabling travelers to donate unwanted items (clothing, shoes, books, accessories) to local charities while streamlining hotel lost-and-found operations and reducing waste. The platform also coordinates a global network of charity partners and offers data tracking and reporting on donated items and program impact.
The company sells to luxury and boutique hotel chains through a sales-led enterprise motion, offering three subscription tiers: a Self Managed annual license with implementation guides and optional charity sourcing, a Full Service annual program including custom bag supply, charity coordination, ongoing collections, and on-site launch support, and a Custom multi-year tier for branded partnerships. Customers include Four Seasons, Alila Hotels & Resorts, Oetker Collection, Six Senses, Taj Hotels, and properties such as Le Bristol Paris, Hotel du Cap Eden Roc, and Eden Rock St. Barths. The company operates across 15 countries spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, South America, and Central America, and launched a related sub-brand, Impact Hotels (impacthotels.co), as a curated collection of sustainability-focused properties.
The business is founder-led, has no disclosed external institutional funding, and has no disclosed headcount or revenue figures. Recognition includes the 2025 Travel + Leisure Global Vision Award and the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration sustainability competition.
Giving Bag firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Giving Bag
- Legal name
- Giving Bag
- Website
- https://givingbag.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Giving Bag is a privately held B2B hospitality company founded in 2013 that provides luxury and boutique hotels with OEKO-TEX certified donation bags for guest rooms, enabling travelers to donate unwanted items to local charities while streamlining lost-and-found and waste operations across 15 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Giving Bag industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hotel Amenity and Sustainability Services
- NAICS
- Waste Collection (56211)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Donation Pickup & Reuse Hauling (HSAKALAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Reusable Packaging & Container Return Programs (On-site) (BPABALAJ), Donation, Resale & Textile Recycling Coordination (HSAFABAI)
Keywords
Where Giving Bag is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Giving Bag business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Annual Giving Bag License: Annual licensing fee for hotels to use the Giving Bag program, including implementation guides, support, and access to program materials.
- Full Service Program: Premium service tier including custom reusable bags supply, charity sourcing, ongoing item collections, and comprehensive data tracking and reporting.
- Custom Partnership Programs: Tailored programs designed for unique brand needs, with pricing and structure customized for each partnership.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Self Managed - Annual Giving Bag License with implementation support |
| Subscription | Annual | Full Service - Complete program management with custom bags and charity coordination |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom - Tailored program options for unique brand needs |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Giving Bag product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Giving Bag places 100% cotton, OEKO-TEX certified reusable donation bags in hotel guest rooms so travelers can leave behind unwanted items such as clothing, shoes, books, and accessories. The company coordinates collection, charity donation in 15 countries, optimizes hotel lost-and-found disposal, and provides data tracking and reporting on the program's impact.
Product overview
Giving Bag is a multi-award winning hotel amenity program that enables hotels to help guests donate unwanted items to local communities while streamlining lost & found operations and reducing waste. The core product includes three service packages: Self Managed (annual license with implementation support and self-sourced bag options), Full Service (custom bags, charity coordination, ongoing collections, and data reporting), and Custom (tailored solutions for unique brand needs). All partner brands are included in the Impact Hotels collection. The company was founded in 2013 and operates across 15 countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Impact Hotels: A collection of forward-thinking hotels focused on sustainable, eco-friendly, and human-centric initiatives. Partner brands are added to the Impact Collection.
Products and services
- Giving Bag Hotel Amenity Program A hotel amenity program that places 100% cotton, OEKO-TEX certified reusable bags in hotel guest rooms so travelers can donate unwanted items (clothing, shoes, books, accessories) to local charities. The program optimizes hotel lost-and-found disposal, coordinates charity donations across 15 countries, and provides data tracking and reporting for partner hotels.
- Impact Hotels Collection A curated collection of forward-thinking hotels focused on sustainable, eco-friendly, and human-centric initiatives. Giving Bag partner brands are added to the Impact Collection and promoted through Giving Bag's network as part of the program's co-marketing offering.
Quantifiable outcome
- 25% of items in hotels' lost and found are left on purpose by guests
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Giving Bag
Customer profileNamed customers17 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Giving Bag technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Giving Bag partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Cornell University School of Hotel AdministrationcoreGiving Bag was created as part of a project at Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. The founders graduated from Cornell's School of Hotel Administration. The company won a sustainability competition as part of this project.
- Impact HotelscoreLaunched as a sister company to Giving Bag, Impact Hotels is a collection of forward-thinking hotels focused on sustainable, eco-friendly, and human-centric initiatives. Together with Giving Bag, they bring together the best hotels that focus on making the world a better place through impactful sustainable practices.
- AIDES AssociationminorFrench association fighting against HIV/AIDS. Le Bristol Paris partners with Giving Bag to donate collected items, which are then sold at two annual sales with profits donated to AIDES.
- Atlanta MissionminorFour Seasons Atlanta uses Giving Bag to donate collected items to Atlanta Mission, ensuring valuable items are put to good use and reducing unnecessary waste.
- Croix Rouge (French Red Cross)minorLe Bristol Paris has partnered with Croix Rouge for Giving Bag donations in France.
- Kuda Kudhinge Hiya OrphanageminorMaldives-based orphanage that has received donations through Giving Bag program.
- First Aid Zermatt ClubminorSwiss charity organization that receives donations through The Omnia hotel's Giving Bag partnership.
- The Women's HomeminorUSA-based nonprofit that has received donations through Giving Bag hotel partnerships.
- Hands On TokyominorTokyo-based charity that Shinsho-an hotel is in talks with for potential Giving Bag partnership in Kyoto.
- Kyoto Prefectura Social Welfare CenterminorLocal welfare center in Kyoto where Shinsho-an donates used amenities through Giving Bag.
- The Cottage HouseminorLocal charity receiving support through Four Seasons Houston's Giving Bag partnership.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Giving Bag competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Clean the World: Hospitality-focused recycling nonprofit that collects and recycles partially used soap and hygiene amenities from hotels for global redistribution. Most directly comparable to Giving Bag as a B2B hotel amenity recycling/donation service with global operations.
- SoapBox Soaps: Purpose-driven personal care company with a one-for-one donation model embedded in hospitality and retail channels. Comparable as a donation-linked amenity brand targeting hotels and consumer-goods buyers.
- Soap Cycling: Hong Kong-based social enterprise that collects and reprocesses partially used hotel soap and amenities for distribution to under-served communities. Closely comparable donation-coordination model for hotel guests' unwanted amenities in Asia.
- Impact Earth: Sustainability and impact measurement platform purpose-built for hotels and resorts to track ESG outcomes. Comparable as a hotel-focused sustainability reporting and amenity program provider.
Broad incumbents
- Too Good To Go: Global marketplace app that helps hospitality and food businesses sell surplus food to reduce waste. Comparable as a waste-diversion platform serving hotels and hospitality, though focused on food rather than physical goods.
- Winnow: Food waste technology provider for commercial kitchens including hotels. Comparable as a sustainability-tech vendor selling data-driven waste reduction solutions into the hotel industry.
- Leanpath: Food waste prevention platform used by hotels and hospitality operators to track and reduce waste. Comparable as a sustainability measurement and reporting vendor into hotel F&B operations.
- TerraCycle: Recycling platform operating zero-waste programs for hard-to-recycle materials, including hospitality amenity waste streams. Comparable as a waste-diversion service targeting hotels and consumer brands.
- Green Key Global: Eco-certification body for hotels and tourism operators. Comparable as an enabling sustainability service sold to hotel management alongside their amenity and ESG programs.
Emerging players
- Stay Plastic Free: Hospitality sustainability advisory and amenity replacement service helping hotels eliminate single-use plastics and add donation/recycling touches. Comparable as a niche, emerging player in hotel sustainability amenities.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Giving Bag social profiles
Digital presenceGiving Bag compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Giving Bag financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Giving Bag leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Giving Bag subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Giving Bag funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Giving Bag M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Giving Bag
What does Giving Bag do?
Giving Bag places 100% cotton, OEKO-TEX certified reusable donation bags in hotel guest rooms so travelers can leave behind unwanted items such as clothing, shoes, books, and accessories. The company coordinates collection, charity donation in 15 countries, optimizes hotel lost-and-found disposal, and provides data tracking and reporting on the program's impact.
Is Giving Bag a public or private company?
Giving Bag is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Giving Bag founded?
Giving Bag was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Giving Bag based?
Giving Bag is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Giving Bag make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Annual Giving Bag License is the primary driver. The others are full Service Program and custom Partnership Programs.
Who are Giving Bag's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Clean the World, SoapBox Soaps, Soap Cycling and Impact Earth. Broad incumbents are Too Good To Go, Winnow, Leanpath, TerraCycle and Green Key Global. Stay Plastic Free is listed as an emerging player.
Does Giving Bag have an API?
No public API is recorded for Giving Bag.
What industry is Giving Bag in?
Giving Bag's product category is Hotel Amenity and Sustainability Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAKALAI, Donation Pickup & Reuse Hauling, with a secondary code of BPABALAJ, Reusable Packaging & Container Return Programs (On-site). Its NAICS code is 56211 and its SIC code is 4953.