Over the past year, a lot has changed. I won’t go into the details (we’re all intimately aware of those already) but will note one trend that’s emerged and we hope it never goes away — and that trend is shopping local. While we’ve become increasingly confined to our local areas, the more aware we are of the monumental impact we can make by simply supporting small businesses.
Every time we spend money, we’re using our dollars to cast a vote on what businesses should exist. And on that front, supporting small businesses has a few advantages. According to the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, 98 percent of Australian businesses are classified as small, plus they also account for 32 percent of Australia’s economy and have also been hit hardest by ongoing lockdowns and restrictions this past year. Supporting a small business is supporting real people and, ahem, bolstering the economy while you’re at it.
Secondly, and perhaps most obviously, small businesses are often run by a person (or few people) who really believe in what they’re selling. So, every time you choose to spend your hard-earned money at one of these businesses, you’re telling them they’re doing a good thing and making a tangible difference to their bottom line.
In the spirit of supporting Aussie-owned small businesses, we’ve partnered with Klarna to pull together a concise list of businesses that you can shop right now and feel good about supporting the little guys who are doing big things for the planet and our bodies. And if you shop at any of the brands below between September 13 and 19, 2021, Klarna is running a promotion where you pay the first three instalments and they’ll cover the fourth (up to $60). See the full T&Cs here.
For the Planet
Nat’v Basics
Finding basics that last, are comfortable, and are also good for the planet is a tall order — but Nat’v Basics does exactly that. Designed by women and for women, Nat’v Basics creates crops, bralettes, g-strings, and high-waisted undies for sizes six to 20, in a variety of muted nude tones and bright colours. Using fabrics that are lightweight and mould to your shape are non-negotiables when choosing underwear, but perhaps our favourite thing about this particular brand is their devotion to being an ethical and sustainable player in the fashion industry.
The fabrics themselves are created from recycled materials and organically-grown, sustainable wood sources, and the company holds certifications (OKEO TEX Standard 100 and Lenzing Certification), so you can be sure you’re supporting a company that’s operating without adding toxic chemicals to their textiles. That’s on top of the fact that workers are treated fairly, and a portion of all profits go towards the improvement of women’s health and sanitation issues in underprivileged societies.
Single Use Ain’t Sexy
One of the few things that offer any small amount of calm over the climate crisis is seeing people and companies create cool inventions that move the needle in the right direction. Single Use Ain’t Sexy is one of those cool companies. Founded by Josh Howard — a self-titled Ex-Tosser — a little over a year ago in an attempt to combat the seemingly unavoidable household plastics that end up in the bin (and therefore, in landfill).
Howard went about creating Australia’s first dissolvable hand soap tablet and a glass bottle that combine to create a waste-free solution. For us, the consumer, the process is pretty simple: Order a starter pack, fill the glass bottle with water, drop in a tablet, and use the hand soap as normal. It’s genius and blessedly simple.
Butt Naked Body
Founded by one woman and her pet dingo, Butt Naked Body is an Australian-owned skincare brand that’s always simple and cruelty-free, while also luxurious. The face and body products are all-natural, which means this isn’t the place to source your intense actives, but very much is the place to find face and body oils, lush clay masks, lip balms, and a powdered enzyme face cleanser.
The brand’s ethos is to be compassionate and this runs through every product it creates. Plus, Butt Naked Body is committed to having a transparent supply chain (which means you can find every supplier, warehouse, and factory on their website) and has also partnered with Future Neutral, to ensure any carbon produced during the production process is offset.
For Your Body
Ovira
Ovira is a business that’s tackling period pain, one electric device at a time. The company is led by six people with periods and their brainchild is the Noha device. In short, the Noha is a small electronic machine that’s no bigger than an egg, with two wires and sticky pads that deliver small electric pulses through your abdomen to ease the pain associated with period cramps, endometriosis, and other pelvic disorders that interrupt our lives regularly. The idea is that the Noha can become a tool that joins hot water bottles and painkillers in your arsenal to fight pain when it inevitably pops up.
To shop all of these Aussie-owned small businesses (and many more), head to the Klarna website.
