Gifts that give back
20 December 2017
A reusable coffee pod to stop contributing to landfill. A salon-quality care pack where every purchase is matched with a pack sent to a women’s refuge. An environmentally friendly Christmas card with revenues that go to educate young girls in developing countries.
These are just a few examples from ING Dreamstarter’s ‘Gifts that give’ initiative, which showcases little products from Australian social businesses that are making a big difference in the community. Now, in the lead-up to Christmas, ING has launched a series of pop-up shopfronts across Sydney and Melbourne.
“We want to help make it easy for our customers and the general public to make a difference this holiday season by choosing to buy a gift that does good,” says Shannon Carruth, ING’s sustainability manager in Australia.
The Dreamstarter programme, a 2016 ING Empowerment Award winner, helps launch and grow businesses that tackle social issues such as environmental conservation, waste reduction and supporting disadvantaged Australians.
“Supporting social enterprises and change-makers through Dreamstarter is such a powerful and positive initiative,” says Kayla Mossuto of reusable coffee-pod company Crema Joe.
“We can personally say that the program has helped us get on our feet, not only with the initial crowdfunding campaign, but also the ongoing support and nurturing. We’ve been given professional development opportunities, so we feel better equipped as business owners.”
