Ethical Enterprise Award Finalists
As the festive season quickly approaches, we here at Moral Fairground are conscious that this time means different things to different people. For some it is a time to celebrate our newly found freedoms with friends, family and loved ones for others, this year the festive season will be one of mourning and loss. Here at Moral Fairground it is a time of reflection and reaffirmation of our purpose; creating awareness and raising the profile of the conscious business sector and Fair Trade throughout the community, particularly in these trying and uncertain times. In celebration of the great work we have accomplished together this year here are some of the finalists from this year's Ethical Enterprise Award Eden, Sisterworks and Y Waste on the importance of Social Enterprises and their impact, as well as the challenges they face.
Eden
Q. Who are you, what is your mission/vision and why does any of that matter?
Eden is a registered charity and not-for-profit organisation here in Australia and our global mission is to see a world in which no one is bought or sold.
Eden works to restore freedom to victims of human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation or forced marriage throughout Asia, our aim is to see women and girls set free and entire communities transformed through providing awareness, outreach, safe shelter, trauma informed care, vocational training and employment to empower each woman to find their worth, dignity and renewed hope for the future.
Eden’s international jewellery social enterprise provides economic empowerment through career and skills training. Eden jewellery is handmade by survivors of human trafficking and each design carries a story of courage. Eden provides a safe and dignified environment where program participants can live, work and train for their future.
Eden Australia is the Australian arm of the global charity and social enterprise, Eden. We exist to support and fund the efforts of Eden teams, currently focusing their efforts in Myanmar.
All of this matters because despite the fact we are in the 21st century, there are more slaves in the world today than ever before in human history. Trafficking in persons is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world and it generates more than $150 billion USD every year. Two thirds of this is generated via commercial sexual exploitation and 73% of these victims are found in the Asia-Pacific. This is in our back yard and this is on our watch – we must act!
Q. What does being an “ethical enterprise” mean to you and your organisation?
It is the reason we exist. We are a not for profit enterprise driven by ethical values in the work done with women who enter the program. Eden’s beneficiaries directly benefit from the ‘social enterprise’ through the production and sales of jewellery. All profits from jewellery sales are directed back to the Eden programs on the ground, providing safe shelter and trauma-informed care for beneficiaries. Primarily, our ethics-based approach is focused on community development, and all our efforts are aimed at reaching vulnerable girls and women caught in the trafficking trade. In turn, the lives directly impacted by Eden’s programs then reach the families, communities and societies in which Eden is based.
Eden has been honoured and affirmed in its’ ethical stance by being targeted by government officials on the ground in Myanmar, enabling them to still carry out their vital work in vulnerable communities even during COVID-19 lockdown.
Ethical enterprises must hold to the values of fairness, integrity, decency and sustainability. Eden works systematically to ensure we are good stewards of the money given through donations or grants, and from funds earned through the social enterprise. Eden’s outreach staff who invite women into our programs are driven by a deep desire to see all who have been trapped in human trafficking, including those profiting from the industry, to be offered a pathway out, and given new opportunities and lives with dignity and wholeness.
In Australia, our team is predominantly made up of volunteers who hold to these same values, giving of their time, energy and passion to creating awareness around the issue of human trafficking. In addition, our volunteers use their unique skill sets to advance the selling and distribution of jewellery, and more recently re-usable face masks. All levels of our enterprise operate from an ethical standpoint, from selling through fair-trade retailers and supporting their endeavours, to partnering with like-minded, ethically driven organisations.
Q. How do you measure your enterprise’s impact? (objective and subjective metrics)
First, through the finances generated though jewellery sales from our international social enterprise, and more recently through sales of re-usable facial masks. We are constantly expanding sales through retail partnerships and other corporate partners. Prior to 2020, Eden sales also occurred via events, markets, conferences, and also the website: thisiseden.org. Currently, sales are limited to our website, and it has been so encouraging that this has been effective this year.
Fundraising and donor contributions are also vital to fund the work of Eden. One of the measurable impacts from the proceeds raised in Australia has been that we have fully-funded a new mother and child safe shelter in Myanmar.
Second, impact is measured through data gathered from participants in Eden’s programs and safe shelters. Currently 37 women are in Eden Myanmar’s comprehensive trauma-informed programs and trained and employed to make jewellery and masks. Many aspects of the program are measured regarding efficacy, for example, Eden measures improvement in the psychological wellbeing of trafficking survivors. This assists Eden staff in assessing how effective our programs are (using published and validated measurement tools) and are constantly training staff and improving the care given. One measure demonstrated that throughout program participation, there was a 50% reduction in trauma symptoms. In the recent 12 months reporting period (ending July 2020) further counsellors were able to be employed increasing the capacity of trauma-informed care and counselling being provided.
Further, Eden gathers data on program outcomes regarding completed training and employment for trafficking survivors. Increased numbers of women have been employed to make masks during 2020 and all of the Eden beneficiaries have been able to make masks during this time. Many will, in the future, progress to other choices of vocational training and employment, benefiting from economic empowerment for them and their communities, therefore reducing the risk of being re-trafficked.
Tens of thousands of masks have been distributed from Eden centres in conjunction with their NGO partners.
Eden’s community education programs have meant that over 20,000 people have been provided with information and instruction in hygiene awareness and practices during this pandemic.
Third, Eden staff are constantly collecting live data as we conduct awareness and outreach in red-light districts and trafficking hubs. We measure rescue numbers, but also contact with women who are at risk of trafficking, and currently in trapped circumstances. The process from first contact with Eden outreach teams, and taking up the offer of the Eden program and entering safe shelters is variable and the staff are innovative, creative and safe in the way women are offered ways out. Given the recent launch of the Chatbot technology, measurement of this part of Eden’s work will be enhanced and objective data gathering and measuring our effectiveness will further be made possible.
Fourth, we are passionate about generating awareness of the issue of human trafficking across our globe. We keep track of this via event attendance, social media engagement and website interaction. This is important in Myanmar, and the teams there are active in continuing educating vulnerable individual and communities regarding the real risk of being trafficked.
In Australia, our reach on social media is growing and can clearly be seen via our online presence. During 2020, the Australian volunteers have been continuing to work hard on creating online forums of various kinds, educating and creating awareness in our communities here about human trafficking.
Q. What is the theory of change that underlies your enterprise? And how does this inform your business model?
The Eden ‘Theory of Change’ is based on the reach, rescue and restore model.
Reach; entire red light districts and those trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced marriage through innovative prevention, outreach, and advocacy strategies – transforming entire communities.
Rescue; those trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced marriage, and provide a safe and dignified environment for them to live, work and heal.
Restore; dignity and hope for their future using trauma informed care and economic empowerment through employment. Equipping them for a future and reducing the risk of trauma repetition and re trafficking.
At the core of everything we do as a registered charity and global social enterprise is Eden’s theory of change. We understand that reaching, offering rescue and restoration to the most vulnerable and exploited individuals in our world must shape every initiative, program and investment we make.
Our business model is underpinned by the values inherent within our ‘reach, rescue, restore theory of change’. We seek to reach all those trapped in whatever form of the trafficking industry. We are intentional in the form of rescuing that is carried out, through actively removing barriers to leaving forced sexual exploitation settings or forced marriage, working with partners in government, law-enforcement and NGO partners. Provision of safe environments goes hand in hand with offering rescue or a pathway out. Restoration is offered through trauma-informed care and therapies, empowering survivors of trafficking to create new beginnings.
Q. Describe the challenges you have faced, that you might not have otherwise being a value-based social enterprise?
The challenges during 2020 have been daunting, and not unique to Eden. All decisions and changes made this year have been driven by the values we hold to, whilst needing to maintain income to continue caring for the program beneficiaries, for example in maintaining rent for safe housing, and the programs being offered to traumatised and vulnerable women. Training and employment have been maintained, which is important to create routine and structure for those in the program. Just as important has been continuing the care offered, as lock-down (akin to being trapped) has been very triggering for the PTSD symptoms experienced by all survivors of human trafficking.
The challenges in maintaining our core work has led to the innovative changes in Eden’s focus during 2020. As jewellery sales were significantly reduced, and this led to not only financial risk, but risk to the women who were both in vocational training and purposeful employment, we turned our focus to producing and distributing PPE. Both sewing masks and making soap became new skills for women still in desperate need of restoring their lives, and working towards their futures.
We continue to face the challenges that working in vulnerable communities brings. However, we choose to operate from a position of hope and opportunity, counting as valuable every life impacted.
Sisterworks
Q. Who are you, what is your mission/vision and why does any of that matter?
SisterWorks is a not-for-profit social enterprise, based in Melbourne. Through work and entrepreneurship, our mission is to support women who are refugees, asylum seekers or migrants to improve their confidence, mental wellbeing, sense of belonging and economic outlook. Our Vision: An Australia where all migrant women are given the opportunities to become economically empowered. We are grounded in the belief that work empowers women.
Migrant women are some of the most vulnerable members of our community. Facing language barriers, social isolation and care duties for their families, these women have reduced opportunities to integrate into a new society. Furthermore, there are numerous complex circumstances that prevent these women from developing employment or educational pathways as newcomers. We see women who weren't able to access education in their country of origin. In contrast, we see women who are highly qualified in their country of origin but their qualifications aren't recognised in Australia due to a lack of 'relevant work experience'. These complex paradoxes and rejections from the professional sphere, set our Sisters back from feeling safely and happily settled. SisterWorks sees the capacity of these women, regardless of their background. When we support these women the impact is multifold, because when a female is lifted she will carry her family/children with her.
Q. What does being an “ethical enterprise” mean to you and your organisation?
We function as a 'social enterprise' through the operation of a retail store where we sell artisan products that are all handmade with love by our Sisters. Our women receive at least 50% of profits from the item and the rest is reinvested into the broader group.
We have a range of sustainable, reusable Sisterworks label products that we sell in our store that aim to reduce single use plastic and paper waste including beeswax food wraps, cotton lunch bags, bread bags, sandwich wraps and tote bags, produce bags and hemp scrubs.
The remaining profit that doesn't go directly to a Sister goes into the running of our weekly skill development and empowerment hubs. In these hubs our women learn skills in craft making, entrepreneurship, IT literacy, business, English language as well as numerous emotional and mental wellbeing workshops that enhance self esteem, connection and a sense of belonging. At the core of our business as an enterprise are our Sisters. Everything we earn is an investment into these women's lives, to secure a fulfilling livelihood for themselves in Australia.
In 2019 SisterWorks commissioned Social Ventures Australia (SVA) Consulting to understand and put a value on the impact of SisterWorks on the community over the past four years from February 2015 to February 2019. They found that for every $1 invested into SisterWorks it will generate $2.40 of social, economic and cultural value.
With the sponsorship of SEPA, it is our objective to obtain Social Trader Certification early in the new financial year. SisterWorks aims to strengthen partnerships with other social procurement companies and corporate partners, where SisterWorks can generate.
social value for every dollar spent on SisterWorks’ products and services.
Q. How do you measure your enterprise’s impact? (objective and subjective metrics)
Social enterprise production, therefore the amount of Sisters we can pay
Sales earnings (store, corporate, wholesale, pop up markets)
Donors and fundraising
Amount of women we support (>800 women supported)
Partnerships. We have an important partnership with UN Women through their second chance education program which has developed our Empowerment Hubs during the span of the relationship (2019-2021)
Q. Describe the challenges you have faced, that you might not have otherwise being a value-based social enterprise?
Our organisation faced one of its most challenging times during COVID-19. Retaining sales from our enterprise wasn't just a matter of profit for our business, but a matter of keeping our Sisters heads above water during an extremely vulnerable time for our society. With retail store closures since March, we faced some daunting prospects.
Our social enterprise team tunnelled head first into their vision to develop a range of reusable face masks. When making an essential item, the quality of our products is something that came into question, particularly as our masks are handmade by our Sisters in their own homes. Ultimately, our masks became a huge success, being one of the most well know lines of masks on the market. I believe our social values and impact as an organisation turned out as a facilitator in the success, as a purchase of our masks was not only keeping you safe but providing opportunity for our Sisters during these trying times.
Y Waste
Q. Who are you, what is your mission/vision and why does any of that matter?
Y Waste app is both a social enterprise and fin-tech application which allows business/caterers and retailers to connect with consumers on their last minute food and stock wastage with consumers in the local area to purchase or donate and ensure less food that is perfectly fine for consumption is thrown into landfill unnecessarily and also allows business and consumers to think and engage in other environmentally sustainable conversations and actions such as bringing their containers to reduce plastic waste as well as food waste and create a local “circular economy” online and physical community between consumers and merchants over a similar belief and goal in reducing unnecessary food waste.
Y Waste App has developed a digital food distribution and management platform for both food service businesses and food relief charities to reduce food waste and optimize food distribution procedures. With a focus on food retail Y Waste's purpose is to reduce both food insecurity and the negative environmental and economic impacts of food waste
One third of the food produced in Australia for human consumption gets wasted every year, which amounts to 4 million tonnes and $20 billion. 80% of processed/eatable food gets thrown out simply because it’s not sold at the end of the day. Unsold surplus food is a great potential resource, which haven’t successfully been targeted before Y Waste App developed the revolutionising food donation platform providing a real-time, reliable connection between food services, charities and people in need of food relief.
Y Waste App Solves reduces food insecurity and reduces food waste.
Q. What does being an “ethical enterprise” mean to you and your organisation?
Recently Y Waste has been handling the tracking and logistics of the donations of young people who are in Australia from overseas who didn’t qualify for government help- packages. Prior to the introduction of Y Waste App these donations in NSW, QLD and VIC would see approximately 45% of the donated meals being wasted due to hoarding and/or deliveries made to centers that already had surplus stock resulting in approximately 50% of recipients who needed food relief completely missed out on food donations due lack of management. Since Y Waste has been in charge of managing the distribution and logistics through our volunteer driver network, we have managed to reduce food waste to practically zero and at the same time ensuring equal and fair daily distribution of the meals to last through the whole week before the next donation comes in.
Being able to coordinate food donations centrally we can prevent multiple charities unknowingly targeting the same segment and instead securing an evenly spread in food relief distribution. We can also incorporate and calculate storage requirements/availability for each individual charity thus creating food relief hubs in local communities.As an ethical organisation we try and solve a problem that has a circular economy effect, helping those in need with no financial benefit but it will solve the larger issue
Q. How do you measure your enterprise’s impact? (objective and subjective metrics)
Also, through the Y Waste Donation platform launched in partnership with Foodbank we have developed a contactless pickup and delivery service for users of our platform (backpackers, single mothers, food insecure). Furthermore, we are ensuring that the food Is distributed to them in a fair and equitable way thus eliminating unnecessary waste and the risk of the donation being allocated unfairly without any unnecessary food loss or food waste from hoarding. In a trial conducted in May and June 2020 we have been able manage and distribute approximately 9,500 meals using the app to ensure effective communication and logistics with volunteer drivers on our “volunteer driver platform”. The results can be seen in this communication here.
Since we have implemented our management system, we have eliminated resulting in a more efficient allocation of resources and the logistic setup means that no meals are wasted, and the efforts of volunteer drivers and cooks are maximized to help those in need- which is the whole purpose of cooking and rescuing food for the food insecure. We can measure food rescued from regular users and also meals diverted to landfill to those in need
Q. What is the theory of change that underlies your enterprise? And how does this inform your business model?
Our theory of change is based on no more hunger and no more waste and hence we try and create a circular economy effect to make use of unsold food waste to feed those suffering from food insecurity.
Q. Describe the challenges you have faced, that you might not have otherwise being a value-based social enterprise?
Since its establishment, Y-Waste has formed links with shops, academic institutions, government agencies and charities.
The app also encourages users to help the environment by bringing in their own environmentally friendly tableware to collect the food.
The reception for the app has been mostly positive Some difficulties and challenges were encountered during the platform's startup, including receiving some negative reviews from customers who don’t understand the business model based on consumer sentiment
Even though negative responses wouldn't go to our heart and we urge the large business and retail community to take a broader view of new technology and ideas to understand the scope of the problem and look at the bigger picture and try to accept new technology instead of rejecting it.
Make sure to join us at this year's Fair@Square Festival this festive season for one whole week filled with activities, the Ethical Lifestyle Marketplace, workshops, talks, cooking shows, and more starting Monday the 30th of November to the 6th of December 2020.