The Social Outfit, a sustainable fashion brand driven by a mission to help migrant and refugee women kick-start their Australian careers in fashion, has taken out this year’s Gold National Banksia Sustainability Award.
The 35th National Banksia Sustainability Awards celebrated trailblazers in environmental and social sustainability, with winners across 14 categories announced at a gala event in Melbourne last week.
The Social Outfit also won the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award sponsored by L’Oréal, winners of the 2022 award for the same category.
Banksia Foundation CEO Graz van Egmond said this was the first time a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award winner had taken out the coveted Gold Banksia.
“It’s an important milestone for our awards. We often think about sustainability through a purely environmental lens, but social sustainability is also critical,” van Egmond says. “The Social Outfit’s work delivers both environmental and social sustainability, and our judges couldn’t look past it.”
The Social Outfit’s work across a range of Sustainable Development Goals suggested they served as a model for other organisations to create broad social and sector impact, the judges noted.
Two other finalists from the apparel and textiles sector, Bared Footwear and Underwear for Humanity, were also recognised for their social impact.
The 2024 National Banksia Sustainability Awards also saw finalists from the travel, agriculture, infrastructure, banking, conservation and emergency services sectors win awards, including a sustainability model reducing the carbon emissions of the ACT’s emergency services; a campaign putting a stop to commercial gill net fishing in the Great Barrier Reef; and a collaborative management partnership improving the health of Victoria’s water catchments and their biodiversity.
“It’s fantastic to see so many organisations – both big and small – from across the Australian economy be recognised as true champions of sustainability and social impact,” says van Egmond.
“Banksia is delighted to recognise the positive environmental and social impacts of this year’s winners and finalists, and we urge them to make further progress towards sustainable development.”
Image: The Social Outfit has won the coveted Gold National Banksia Sustainability Award
