A social enterprise is a company that uses its business to create positive social change. These businesses focus on improving the well-being of people and our environment rather than maximising their profits. By choosing to buy these brands over others you know the money you’re spending is going to a great cause.
Social Enterprises we love:
THANKYOU.
Thankyou is a consumer movement that empowers you to fund life-changing projects through simple choices in your everyday life. 1.4 billion people in our world live in extreme poverty. Meanwhile, Australians spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year on bottled water, food, soap, and other consumer goods. What if purchasing these everyday products could provide life-changing solutions to people in need?
Once all the costs involved in bringing you great products are taken care of, every cent left funds life-changing projects in the developing world.
Who Gives a Crap?
Who Gives A Crap started when founders Simon, Jehan and Danny learnt that 2.5 billion people across the world don’t have access to a toilet. That’s roughly 40% of the global population and means that diarrhoea-related diseases fill over half of sub-Saharan African hospital beds and globally kill 2,000 children under 5 every day. They thought that was pretty crap.
So in July 2012, they launched Who Gives A Crap with a crowdfunding campaign on IndieGoGo. Simon sat on a toilet in their draughty warehouse and refused to move until they had enough pre-orders to start production. 50 hours and one cold bottom later, they’d raised over $50,000.
Who Gives a Crap toilet paper donates 50% of their profits to WaterAid to build toilets and improve sanitation in the developing world. Their impact to date shows that every roll of Who Gives A Crap is basically providing someone with access to a toilet for about one week. When it comes to flushing out poverty and saving the planet, they’re on a roll!
The Social Studio
The Social Studio is a fashion label, education program, and store that celebrates the style and skills of diverse cultures in Australia. They champion diversity, community, education, sustainability, design and ethical business practices and create professional development and opportunity for young members of the community who are most in need of a voice, mode of expression and agency.
The Social Studio provides the opportunity to work and learn for young people with talent who have experienced being a refugee. They create beautifully crafted products showcasing local design and promoting sustainable and ethical fashion in Australia and create connections between people from diverse cultures and sharing knowledge, skills and stories.
Clothing The Gaps
Clothing The Gaps is a community brand and social enterprise that celebrates Aboriginal culture and values. It encourages people to wear their values – sparking important conversations and awareness. Majority Aboriginal-owned and with over 80% of employees being Mob, this organisation supports community. With ‘Ally friendly’ and ‘Mob only’ items, this brand makes clothes with “Mob in our heart and everyone in mind”.
Clothing The Gaps also has a foundation that focuses on the physical health and well-being of Aboriginal people. Run by public health practitioners, the foundation wants to get Aboriginal people moving. This is to lengthen their lives, as the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous life expectancy is still too large.
HoMie
HoMie is a Melbourne-based streetwear label and social enterprise where all profits go towards ending homelessness and hardship for young people. They deliver a retail education and employment program to young people affected by these. As well as offering VIP days where young people affected by homelessness and hardship are offered free garments, beauty and care services, and lunch.
Graduates of their pathways program have a 90% chance of finding stable employment or further study after graduation. They also offer awareness-raising talks to school or community groups so that there is community-wide understanding of the impact of hardship.
These are just a few businesses using the power of their consumers to create some good! It’s important to remember that as consumers, the purchases we make matter. We get to decide which companies to give our money to (a great option being social enterprises) and which ones to avoid or even boycott (check out the BDS movement). Every purchase counts… the power is in our hands!
