Business for people and planet: why buy from social enterprises?

While most of my work involves helping businesses navigate climate risk reporting while reducing carbon emissions and operating costs, I also operate at the other end of the sustainable business spectrum in the world of social impact.

I am proud to announce that I have been elected as a non-executive director of THE Social Enterprise Council of NSW and ACT (SECNA), the member-led peak body for social enterprises in NSW and ACT. 

In my role at the local government program Better Business Partnership, I learnt about this model of doing business through the Community of Practice sessions run by SECNA. I advocated for our partner councils to adopt purchasing policies that favour local social enterprises.

Most businesses adopt sustainability only after they're already up and running. Social enterprises start from that premise. They exist to address a social or environmental problem, earn their own revenue, reinvest most of their surplus into that purpose, and use a legal structure that protects it long term.

At SECNA, we recognise social enterprises as industry members who are certified by Social Traders or verified with People and Planet First, a global verification system for social enterprises launched by the Social Enterprise World Forum in 2023.

What buying from a social enterprise delivers

When a business buys from a social enterprise, the same purchase pays for the goods or service and helps fund a social or environmental outcome. The bonus for businesses, councils and government agencies that purchase goods and services from social enterprises is the additional impact delivered via that organisation’s core purpose.

The social impact

Social Traders, which certifies social enterprises in Australia, reports that in FY25:

• more than $304M spent with social enterprises

• For the period FY18-FY25, social enterprises:

  • turned over more than $1.4Bn

  • provided more than 1 million training hours

  • diverted more than 505,000 tonnes of waste from landfill

  
  

The value to your business

For a commercial business, there are three main reasons to procure from social enterprises: 

1. Winning work: Your customers may ask what your business is doing for its community and the environment. Buying from a verified social enterprise gives you something specific to report. In NSW, government buyers are asked to encourage supplier diversity, and the State's Small and Medium Enterprise and Regional Procurement Policy names social enterprises among the businesses it covers.

2. Loyalty: social impact purchasing raises staff and customer loyalty

3. It's easy and low-risk to start: You can start with something you already buy, such as catering, cleaning or printing, without changing your wider operations.

A social enterprise still needs to compete on price, quality and reliability, and it won't suit every purchase. The sensible approach is to assess it as you would any other supplier, then count the social value as a further benefit. 

Check out the SECNA Directory to find the social enterprise you need.

SECNA Festival Sydney 13 and 14 November

The 2026 Social Enterprise Summit and Festival will be held at the Belinda Hutchinson Building, University of Sydney Business School, in Darlington - about a 10-minute walk from Redfern Station.

Friday 13 November: Social Enterprise Summit. The Summit has separate programs for social enterprises and for business, funders and government. The second program covers social enterprise basics, switching to social enterprise suppliers, social procurement levers, supplier diversity and government support. Also on Friday: a buyers expo, market and networking! So if you work in procurement, supply chain, or sustainability, this is the day for you.

Saturday 14 November: Social Enterprise Festival. The Festival is free and runs from 10 am to 3 pm. It includes market stalls, ethical products, and workshops and talks. It is an easy way to meet the people behind these businesses, and a good day to bring family or colleagues.

Your discount: Use the code SECNA13NOV for 10% off your Friday Summit ticket. Book through Humanitix.

I will be there on both days, so please come and say hello.