The Perfect Gift: Australian Social Enterprises to Support this Christmas
Image Credit: MWL
It’s certainly snuck up on us but the time is here: holiday gift giving is soon approaching and now’s the time to start planning and purchasing. Fortunately, combining value-driven shopping with supporting local organisations has never been easier!
Here are some of our favourite Australian social enterprises to buy the perfect Christmas gift from.
ReCo is a local refill delivery service to help Sydney residents and businesses cut down their plastic wastes and carbon footprint. Currently, they have a lemon myrtle laundry powder and a dishwasher powder available for refill. Both products are eco-friendly and toxin-free, proudly made by SimplyClean in the heart of the Northern Rivers, NSW.
For any friend or family member with kids (or plans to have kids), The Root Cause has some perfect gifts. Choose from healthy-eating courses taught by certified instructors or books like Belinda Smith’s The Lunchbox Effect.
Aussie Veterans Coffee is run by veterans with a goal to support veterans through employment opportunities. Their award-winning coffee, chai, tea, and hot chocolate would make for a perfect stocking-stuffer or gift under the tree—and every purchase supports veterans and their families!
GG’s Flowers is a socially sustainable Canberra florist that employs people with special needs.
For Dignity works with people in Asia who’ve been rescued from or are at risk of exploitation and provides them with Fair Trade conditions. The ethical products are also sustainable, and include bags, fashion apparel, gifts, homeware, and jewellery.
This social enterprise is all about empowering kids to bee (pun intended) the best version of themselves. They’ve supported more than 5,000 kids with tools to boost confidence and self-esteem and every purchase can help them reach more. Their online shop has a range of books and posters for kids and adults alike.
All of the clothing from Yevu is proudly Ghanian made and supports women with sustainable incomes, improved livelihoods, and empowerment that allows them to transform their lives, and the lives of their children and their community. They’ve got men’s and women’s clothing, as well as accessories, so you’re sure to find a gift for everyone.
Boots for All wants to break down the barriers to participation in sport, and they do so by providing sporting equipment to vulnerable Australians. If you know someone who values socially-inclusive sport teams, consider a gift of sporting equipment for them. They’ve got options for men, women, and children.
This ethical soap maker uses natural ingredients and encourages consumers to shift their buying behaviours to affect real change. Liquid and solid bar soaps are available in a range of scents including lemon myrtle, cedarwood rosemary, and tea tree and bentonite.
Scarf works with disadvantaged young people and those from refugee and migrant communities by providing training, mentoring, and paid work opportunities that allow them to break through barriers to find meaningful employment. Support their mission by ordering a gifted tea towel, face mask, puzzle, tote bag, and more.
Mettle sells gift boxes that allow them to train, employ, and empower survivors of family and domestic violence. The variety of gift boxes include things like candles, body care products, wine, food items, and more.
Farmwall brings the sustainability and self-sufficiency of urban farming to any home. Christmas shoppers can choose a perfect gift for any green thumb. They’ve got a starter kit that’s perfect for beginners or a farming education bundle for someone committed to growing a lot (and with 20 minutes every week to spare).
Imagining a world without waste, sister-run Seljak Brand sells blankets made from recycled lambswool or merino combined with other natural fibres and a little poly for strength. Once the blanket has reached the end of its life, it can be returned (free of charge) to be transformed into a new one.
With a dream to support Warningakalina women and share and preserve their knowledge and traditions, this social enterprise has hand-made modern skincare products available for a variety of needs. Choose from soaps, body scrubs, body butter, balms, hair oils, lip balms, and more!
Supporting a range of women’s charities with 100% of their profits, gender equality is the main goal for Secret Sisterhood. They accomplish it by selling a range of beautiful jewellery, including necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings.
Gift a pair of socks this Christmas – for each ordinary purchase, you buy extraordinary purpose – where a donation is made straight to a not-for-profit. It also gets better – each pair is vegan, organic and Fairtrade certified.
Over recent years, the online landscape has welcomed more websites that sell social enterprise, ethical, and sustainable products. We’ve rounded up a few of our favourite conscious consumer directories and marketplaces to make it easier to #switch2good. Happy shopping (supporting)!
Greatest Good connects for-purpose organisations to learning, training, resources and networks that maximise their impact on community, people and planet! Consumers choose the value areas that are important to them and Greatest Good shows them for-purpose organisations that meet those values. From there, consumers decide how they want to engage with and support them! Consumers can shop, donate, and attend courses and events, and there are also opportunities for working, volunteering and collaborating.
Goods 4 Good was created to connect you with amazing brands that are making the world a better place – a place where you can find and support what is important to you. Goods 4 Good is where your everyday purchase can have the benefit of addressing some of the social and environmental issues in Australia and the world. Here, you can use the power of your consumer dollar for Good.
Hello Good World is “the marketplace for the conscious consumer,” and they make it easy to shop for our values. They’ve taken the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and transformed them into labels that allow consumers to make purchases that support things like quality education; affordable and clean energy; and reduced inequalities—to name just a few. The marketplace is a great place to turn for food and drink products, clothing, art, essentials for the home and garden, as well as beauty and entertainment products.
Moral Fairground exists to raise the profile of fair trade and use events and engagement to increase the demand for ethically and environmentally responsible products. Their ethical lifestyle marketplace is the perfect place to shop for a conscious Christmas. From skin care products to baked goods (and everything in between), they’ve got something perfect for everyone!
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