Attracting thousands of creatives, change-makers and innovators, SXSW Sydney is set to take over the city this October. A festival for the curious, this event brings people together to ‘inspire the unexpected’. It’s THE place to be immersed in clever ideas and surrounded by passionate people. Sounds like our kind of crowd, right!?
We are buzzing to share that, for the first time, we are Official Partners! We look forward to showcasing stories from local B Corps, participating in panel discussions, hosting a meetup, giving away some awesome prizes and demonstrating how B Corps represent the future of business—all backed by the energy and spirit of our 750+ strong local B Corp community.
Only with the support of our growing community can we embrace this opportunity to reach even more people. To affect the change we want to see, we need more people to understand the potential to use business as a force for good. Showing up in places where people haven’t necessarily heard about B Corp and leveraging the power of collaboration at events like SXSW Sydney allows us to expand awareness of Certified B Corporations and the leading role they play.
Presenting the Tech & Innovation Expo’s Social Impact Zone, we’ll be joined by six B Corps over four days from 16 – 19 October 2024, who will share their unique impact journeys and initiatives. Our friends at Frank Wild will help us bring our epic booth to life, while the legends at AV1 will ensure our audio, visual, and digital displays are A+.
The countdown to SXSW Sydney is officially on, and we can’t wait to bring all things B Corp to the Tech & Innovation Expo’s expected crowd of 20,000 forward-thinking folks. But in the meantime, let’s learn more about our stellar partners making it possible to bring our B Corp booth to life. Drumroll, please…
Image: SXSW Sydney
Welcoming digital spaces and workplaces: Intopia
Digital tech is so integral to our day-to-day that it’s difficult to imagine life without it. Like our physical spaces, our digital world must be designed with everyone in mind. That’s precisely why our first event partner, Intopia, is on a mission to make digital spaces inclusive for everyone.
What makes Intopia Intopia is its talented team. The digital accessibility and equitable design firm takes pride in its inclusive hiring practices, which focus on offering employment to people with disabilities and neurodiversity. But, as they explain, it’s about more than that; it’s about encouraging “everyone to bring their full selves to work.”
“Every team member enriches our company with their unique perspectives, contributing to a more creative and innovative environment. It allows us to approach problems and solutions from multiple angles, ensuring that our digital accessibility solutions are thoughtful and thorough.”
— Intopia
Certifying as a B Corporation seven years ago, Intopia was “pleasantly surprised” that many of their practices already aligned with B Corp standards. Of course, being a B, this New South Wales-based team is always looking to expand its impact.
“It’s great that B Corp celebrates the great work organisations are already doing and pushes us to grow and do better. It’s a special sense of camaraderie and knowing you have [the B Corp] community around you to cheer you on.”
— Intopia
Image: Intopia
Wearing values on your sleeve: Clothing The Gaps
Clothing The Gaps creates merch that supports First Nations people and communities. “Uniting Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people through fashion and cause,” their streetwear sparks important conversations, advocates for positive social change, and looks mighty good to boot.
For Clothing The Gaps, being an Aboriginal business and a social enterprise means that doing right by community and country will always take priority. They explain that “Aboriginal businesses do things differently” and that being a B Corp helps to articulate this difference in a “clear and accredited way.”
“Our first B Impact Score of 127 was a really huge tick for us in knowing that our way of doing business with Mob (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) at the heart of all we do was coming through in the difference we were making.”
— Clothing The Gaps
Considering the entire lifecycle of their clothes is just one way that Clothing The Gaps is doing things differently from many of its fashion industry peers. Customers can return clothing to be recycled or redistributed to First Nations Community projects through its new takeback program.
“When we create our merch, we must take responsibility for its whole lifecycle: from concept and design to manufacturing and dispatch, right through to the end of the line when it’s no longer needed or fit for purpose. We see this as holistic care for the merch we create.”
— Clothing The Gaps
Image: Clothing The Gaps
Charting a course for positive change: Intrepid Travel
“Positive change through the joy of travel” – that’s Intrepid Travel’s mission. For the adventure travel business, which offers hundreds of experiences across all seven continents, charitable giving has been a priority from the very beginning. Since 2002, the business’ not-for-profit arm, The Intrepid Foundation, has raised over $15.5 million for their 160+ partners.
As a member of the B Corp Climate Collective and B Tourism in Asia Pacific and a collaborator within the B Corp Reconciliation Action Group, Intrepid knows that, just like a holiday, doing good is even better when you have good company.
“Achieving the goal of an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy. . . requires us to use our voice and resources to support collective action alongside other B Corps.”
— Intrepid Travel
The past couple of years have been huge for this B Corp. Intrepid has introduced carbon labels to help eco-conscious travellers understand their carbon footprint. Spurred on by the shocking knowledge that “over one billion workers globally are estimated to earn less than what’s needed for a decent standard of living,” Intrepid committed to ensuring 100% of employees earn a living wage by 2030, a goal they reached ahead of schedule in 2023.
“We discovered that the costs are negligible compared to the benefit of creating a fairer economic system and knowing your workers can afford a decent standard of living — a goal that aligns deeply with the B Corp community’s mission.”
— Intrepid Travel
Image: Intrepid Travel
Creativity, curiosity and co-design: Today
Whether conducting social research, building impactful advocacy campaigns, or designing new innovative programs, Today is in the business of rethinking the way things have always been done.
With offices in Sydney and Melbourne, the design and innovation studio helps like-minded purpose-led organisations tackle social issues facing society today by using the power of creativity and centring the voices most affected by these issues.
As one of the first businesses to be certified as a B Corporation in our region, Today Design says that “it’s motivating to be part of something bigger than ourselves” and that they are “constantly inspired” by their fellow B Corps and the collaborative conversations that come from connecting with the community.
“We attended Assembly earlier this year. It was wonderful to connect with so many like-minded, like-valued folks. The [alignment of purpose] means you make fast friends and get into really interesting conversations.”
— Today
If you ask Today, tapping into our creative side and opening our minds to new possibilities is a natural and essential part of solving real-world issues. As they put it, “In the face of complex challenges and the urgent need for businesses and organisations to scale positive impact—we need to think and act differently.”
“For creative people—whether they work in design, innovation, or other fields—harnessing their creative skills toward solving real-world challenges is what transforms their work from art into purposeful innovation.”
— Today
Image: Today
Breaking down barriers: Code Like A Girl
Code Like A Girl is empowering women and gender-diverse individuals to thrive in the tech industry. Along with training and internship opportunities, their talent marketplace connects their network of workers with potential employers — “breaking down barriers, disrupting traditional hiring practices, and demonstrating the incredible potential of these women.”
“By challenging outdated hiring practices, we’re working to create a more inclusive and equitable tech industry where everyone has the opportunity to succeed.”
— Code Like A Girl
According to Code Like A Girl, women in tech are twice as likely to choose the career path after the age of 25, opting to up-skill through non-traditional routes. Their program challenges the mindset that you need a traditional degree to get your foot in the door.
Code Like A Girl celebrated becoming a B Corporation just this year (congratulations, team!). They reflect that the certification has made it easy for people to “get” what their business is all about, providing “a clear, recognised structure to articulate our business model”.
“[Being part of the B Corp community] strengthens our resolve to use business as a force for good in empowering women and gender-diverse individuals in tech.”
— Code Like A Girl
Image: Code Like A Girl
Transforming tradition: Australian Vintage
While we’re toasting to new Bs, meet ASX-listed wine and beverages B Corp Australian Vintage. Australian Vintage’s brands are recognised, available, and enjoyed in over 40 countries. Two of these brands, Nepenthe, premium Sustainable Winegrowing Australia Certified wines from the Adelaide Hills, and Tempus One, a refreshingly different wine/spritz combination, will be highlighted at our SXSW Sydney booth.
Stemming from a “traditional wine business background,” Australian Vintage is evidence that, whilst our movement may encourage new ways of thinking about business, being a B Corp certainly isn’t just for new companies. To make our vision a reality, emerging, experienced, small and large workplaces all need to join forces.
“[Our] approach to sustainability is a balanced one encompassing environment, social and governance [responsibilities] – whether that’s following sustainable winegrowing practices, being powered by renewable energy, no-and-low alcohol innovation, or ensuring that diversity, inclusion, and belonging is at the heart of everything we do.”
— Australian Vintage
For Australian Vintage, becoming a Certified B Corporation was a demonstration of the power of people — their people. The process ignited collaborative input “from teams across the organisation, all with a common goal”, with the South Australia-based B Corp reporting that the “energy and passion involved in gaining certification” continues to ripple through the organisation.
“[We] hope to set an example of how publicly listed companies can make a positive impact at scale.”
— Australian Vintage
Image: Australian Vintage
See you at SXSW Sydney
A huge thank you to our B Corp booth partners Intopia, Clothing The Gaps, Intrepid Travel, Today Design, Code Like a Girl, and Australian Vintage Ltd. We couldn’t bring this activation to life without you, and we’re thrilled to be showcasing your story alongside others in the growing B Corp movement at SXSW Sydney 2024.
Heading along to SXSW Sydney? We’d love to see you there. Get your hands on some tickets here. You’ll find us within the Tech & Innovation Expo Social Impact Zone (next to the Discovery Stage) from 16 -19 October 2024.
Before you visit the booth, if you’re heading to the conference, you can catch B Lab Australia & Aotearoa New Zealand CEO Andrew Davies as he participates in the panel discussion Climate change needs a rebrand: Can advertising save the planet? on Tuesday, 15 October at 12 pm.
Also on the program is a dedicated B Corp Coffee Meetup, presented with support from Luminary, on Level 3 in the South Foyer of ICC on Wednesday, 16 October, 2:30 – 4 pm. More to come! To stay across our updates on what’s happening at SXSW Sydney, make sure you’re following B Lab Australia & Aotearoa New Zealand on social media.
