Small business, Big impact

Small Mighty CSR
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Interviews with Australia's leading people- and planet-positive small and medium businesses and startups. Our purpose is to inspire and empower SMEs to find their sustainability superpowers, protect the environment, give back to their community and tap into the demand for sustainable products and brands for growth.

  1. 20 Jul

    Full circle brewing with Local Brewing Co

    What if beer could tackle food insecurity? Co-founders Nick Campbell and Paddy Muston built Local Brewing Co around a different model for business, donating one meal through Second Bite for every four-pack or pint sold since 2019. They’ve also gone further by brewing surplus bread and fruit directly into their beer, recently earning them a Coles Nurture Fund grant to turn rescued bread into a grain substitute other breweries can use. This episode is especially interesting for businesses looking at how to scale a giving or buy-one-give-one model. Nick and Paddy talk candidly about how their mission opened doors and built aligned partnerships that helped them through the growing pains, along with experimentation inside and outside of the kitchen and even some thermodynamics! Chapters (02:42) How an idea and zero experience turned into foundational partnerships (8:53) Transitioning from a giving model to recycling surplus food into beer (11:18) The hidden challenges of brewing with rescued ingredients (14:33) Getting the messaging right (20:39) Scoring sponsorships with Melbourne Victory and Hawthorn as a small brand (24:18) How the mission enabled growth and funding (25:43) Lessons in working with big partners like Coles (30:37) Advice for small businesses wanting to build a give-back model or rescued ingredients About Local Brewing Co Local Brewing Co is an independent, environmentally and socially conscious craft beer label founded in Melbourne in 2019. They also run a taproom and function space in Clifton Hill alongside being available online and through Coles, offering a core range of beers including a lager, pale ale and IPA, plus rotating seasonal and collaboration releases. Learn more about Local Brewing Co’s impact at https://localbrewing.co/pages/impact You can also find them on Instagram @localbrewingau and @localbrewingau_taproom  Brought to you by Small Mighty CSR For more tools and resources for small business sustainability, check us out at smallmightycsr.com

    Full circle brewing with Local Brewing Co

  2. 6 Jul

    Funding what matters with Red Hat Impact

    Traditional finance isn't always the right fit for smaller businesses, leaving many struggling to access the funding they need to grow. Cameron Neil has spent decades helping businesses navigate these challenges through innovative finance, while exploring how investors, governments, communities and businesses can all play a role in building stronger local economies. This episode is especially interesting for businesses wanting to think differently about growth, success and impact. Cam explores why many SMEs are underserved by today's financial system, how community-based approaches can unlock new opportunities, and why every spending and investment decision shapes the kind of economy we live in. Chapters (03:18) Where small businesses struggle to grow (08:50) What Australia can learn about supporting SMEs (15:52) The hidden networks that help businesses thrive (20:56) Thinking beyond profit: who really benefits? (31:52) Alternative finance models for small ad purpose driven businesses (39:42) Resources and future opportunities Further resources mentioned Australian Anaemia by Ivan Power Community wealth building and place-based capital in the Australian context The Place-Based Capital initiative Tim Jackson Towards a ‘Social Psychology’ of Sustainable Consumption Tractor Ventures The SMBX - Small Business Bonds Marketplace Resources on accessing capital: Business.gov.au or check your own state government business resources and state Social Enterprise Network Innovative Finance Initiative About Red Hat Impact Red Hat Impact is an impact investment and advisory firm that provides founders, entrepreneurs and business managers with capital, consulting and connections to grow businesses with positive social and environmental impact. They focus on building a finance ecosystem by designing purpose-built impact financing vehicles and using crowd lending to bridge the "missing middle". Learn more about their work at redhatimpact.com. About LendforGood LendForGood is a crowdlending platform and marketplace that connects everyday lenders and institutions with growth-ready, verified social enterprises. It facilitates impact investing through debt crowdfunding and loan syndication to support businesses generating financial returns and positive global change. For more information, visit LendForGood.io. Brought to you by Small Mighty CSR For more tools and resources for small business sustainability, check us out at smallmightycsr.com

    Funding what matters with Red Hat Impact

  3. 22 Jun

    Junk-free merch with Merchgirls

    Promotional products are often poor quality items no one wanted and are likely to go straight in the bin. So Pippa Joseph co-founded Merchgirls with the idea of making quality items that people actually want and use. In this episode, she shares how that translated into their ESG commitments today, including their philosophy of keeping things simple and treating supplier relationships like key hires. This episode is especially interesting for businesses who didn’t start out with sustainability at their core, but are facing the question of how to make meaningful changes. Pippa talks about how to navigate the greenwash and identify the actions that will work for your business, as well as work with your suppliers to align their practices. Chapters (01:26) Sustainable from the start or retrofit? (06:57) How ‘bring back the milkman’ helped them to cut the sustainability noise and focus on the right things (08:54) The products Merchgirls won't sell and why (11:44) ESG in procurement moves from "nice to have" to non-negotiable, and what they’re asking for (16:29) Where sustainability has paid off most (20:51) How to build an ethical supply chain and work with your suppliers to change and improve (35:10) The challenge of building an Australian-made range (39:46) Why making sustainability commitments public is a risk worth taking (43:44) Advice for other small businesses About Merchgirls Merchgirls is an Australian, women-owned promotional products company offering branded merchandise, uniforms, workwear and corporate gifts. Working with clients across a range of industries, they manage the full process from design to delivery, with a focus on quality, ethical sourcing and long-term supplier relationships. Learn more about Merchgirls’ ESG commitments here: https://www.merchgirls.com.au/esg Or follow them on Instagram @merchgirls Brought to you by Small Mighty CSR For more tools and resources for small business sustainability, check us out at smallmightycsr.com Not sure what kind of ESG goals would be relevant for yourbusiness? Check out our Sustainability Strategy DIY Guide to help focus on what’s most important and set out a plan to achieve it.

    Junk-free merch with Merchgirls

  4. 15 Jun

    Greening the internet with Serversaurus

    Serversaurus was the first carbon neutral web host in Australia and a founding Australian B Corp – before most people even knew what those things meant. Nearly two decades later, they're still ahead of the curve with a 4-day work week and addressing the gender superannuation gap with an extra 5.5% contribution for female employees. This episode is especially interesting for service-based businesses who might struggle to see what aspects of sustainability are relevant to them or how they can make a difference. Marty is refreshingly pragmatic about what sustainability actually costs and why building things in early, however small, makes everything easier later. Chapters (02:11) Why the internet’s carbon footprint might be your business’ biggest impact, and what Serversaurus does differently (04:33) Why sustainability was built into the business from day one, and how it has evolved over 20+ years (09:21) How the four-day work week has affected productivity and employee engagement (12:11) Are sustainable commitments expensive? How Serversaurus works this into their financial model. (17:44) Flipping the script on ‘expenses’ (19:31) The carbon reduction versus offsetting debate – what should a small business do? (26:17) Practical advice for other small businesses About Serversaurus Serversaurus is an Australian provider of web hosting, email and custom website solutions with on-call local customer support. Founded in 2005, they are members of the Green Web Foundation, demonstrating carbon neutral, ethical services backed by B Corp Certification and 1% for the Planet. Learn more about Serversaurus’ sustainability initiatives here: https://serversaurus.com.au/green-hosting-and-cloud-solutions-australia/ Or follow them on Instagram: @Serversaurus Brought to you by Small Mighty CSR For more tools and resources for small businesssustainability, check us out at smallmightycsr.com Not sure what aspect of your business or sector has the biggest impact, like waste in fashion, and where to focus your efforts? Check out our explainer on Materiality and the diagnostic tool at https://smallmightycsr.com/esg-materiality-assessment-for-small-business/

    Greening the internet with Serversaurus

  5. 8 Jun

    Future fit fashion with Citizen Wolf

    Most clothing brands start by designing products and then trying to convince people to buy them, with a huge amount going to waste when no one does. Citizen Wolf flipped that model on its head, building a business around made-to-order, custom-fit everyday apparel. The result is a business that has now produced more than 90,000 garments while being entirely zero waste and circular. This episode is especially interesting for businesses looking at established industry norms and thinking there must be a better way. Eric shares how Citizen Wolf built a completely different operating model, how sustainability went from a personal value to a core business pillar, and how being a naive outsider can sometimes be an advantage when you're trying to solve a difficult problem. Chapters (01:42) How Eric went from advertising pro to fashion newbie (04:00) The fitting room problem that sparked a new business model (06:37) How Citizen Wolf built a factory that makes one garment at a time, at scale (09:44) How sustainability went from an add-on to the heart of the business (11:50) What B Corp taught them about being sustainable (14:03) Why being a values-led business attracts the right customers, the “citizen wolves” (17:53) From offcuts to new fabric: how circularity works in textiles (22:47) Why Citizen Wolf's carbon footprint is half that of fast fashion (25:00) How they’ve attracted customer segments and partnerships they never expected (28:28) Why sustainability is no longer a differentiator (and what to do about it) (32:25) One piece of advice for any small business thinking about doing things differently About Citizen Wolf Citizen Wolf is a Sydney based clothing company creating made-to-order, custom fit T-shirts, polos, sweats, shirts and other everyday apparel using its proprietary MagicFit technology. Manufacturing locally in Sydney using mostly Australian made fabrics, Citizen Wolf combines on-demand production, circular design, ethical labour practices and lower carbon manufacturing to reduce waste and challenge the traditional fast fashion model. To learn more about Citizen Wolf’s sustainability efforts, visit https://www.citizenwolf.com/pages/100-circular Or you can find them on Instagram: @citizen_wolf Brought to you by Small Mighty CSR For more tools and resources for small business sustainability, check us out at smallmightycsr.com Not sure what aspect of your business or sector has the biggest impact, like waste in fashion, and where to focus your efforts? Check out our explainer on Materiality and the diagnostic tool at https://smallmightycsr.com/esg-materiality-assessment-for-small-business/

    Future fit fashion with Citizen Wolf

  6. 1 Jun

    Low waste beauty with Adorn Cosmetics

    Briony Kennedy built Adorn Cosmetics with a simple question: why create products and packaging that just go to landfill after a single use? This led her to pioneer cosmetics and skincare refills and naked packaging, growing a multimillion-dollar circular beauty business that has kept over 220,000 cosmetics containers out of landfill. This is episode is especially interesting for product based businesses looking at the piles of packaging and wondering if there’s a better way. Briony gets refreshingly practical about building a low-waste model from scratch, and makes a compelling case that sustainability decisions and financial decisions actually point in the same direction. Chapters 1. (02:51) From lounge room to low-waste pioneer (The early days: why she backed sustainability before it was a thing) 2. (09:00) Building a different model from scratch(Finding ingredients, packaging and partners in a market that didn't really exist yet) 3. (16:01) Making the refill model actually work (The operational, supply chain and commercial realities behind a circular product) 4. (23:29) Finding the right suppliers as a small Australian maker (Why she brought fulfilment in-house and what she gained by keeping control) 5. (30:46) What other brands are getting wrong about sustainability (Greenwashing, recyclability myths, and the real cost of excess packaging) 6. (40:35) Practical advice for building a low-waste business (What to ask, who to surround yourself with, and why it's okay to stay small) About Adorn Cosmetics Adorn Cosmetics is an Australian made beauty brand creating mineral makeup and natural skincare for sensitive and mature skin using vegan, cruelty free, safe, toxin-free, responsibly sourced ingredients. Adorn has pioneered refillable makeup and skincare, naked packaging, sample sizes and build-your-own products so customers can get exactly what they need, no waste! To learn more about Adorn’s sustainability efforts, visit: adorncosmetics.com.au/pages/our-sustainability-initiatives Or you can find them on Instagram: @adorncosmetics Brought to you by Small Mighty CSR For more tools and resources for small business sustainability, check us out at smallmightycsr.com Not sure if sustainability is relevant to your business? Take the quiz: esg.smallmightycsr.com

    Low waste beauty with Adorn Cosmetics

  7. 02/12/2021

    Ideals worth spreading with 99th Monkey

    Nick Sheridan is Founder & Director of 99th Monkey. 99th Monkey makes natural nut butters, pure and simple, free from animal products, gluten, palm oil and GMOs. Their products are also carbon positive, having not only reduced and offset emissions all the way back to the raw materials and packaging, but also offsetting an additional kilogram of carbon for every kilo of nut butter sold. After years of persistence, 99th Monkey has ridden the wave of demand for sustainable, ethical products from their local farmers' market onto the shelves at Coles. This interview is part of the Small business, Big impact series, recorded 1 December 2021. Resources mentioned: 99th Monkey - buy some nut butter or subscribe for sustainability updates, recipes and giveaways - https://99thmonkey.com.au/ social media - new products and frequent giveaways - https://www.instagram.com/99th_monkey/ and https://www.facebook.com/99thMonkeyNutButters

  8. 17/11/2021

    Paying it forward with Goodwill Wine

    David Laity is Founder & CEO of Goodwill Wine. Goodwill Wine is a certified social enterprise donating 50% of its profits to charities chosen by its customers. Inspired by the outpouring of support following the Black Saturday Bushfires, David Laity decided to pay it forward and create a business that would harness the power of positive drinking. With labels like 'Love your work' and 'You deserve this', they spread good will up and down the value chain. We speak about social enterprise, the profit distribution model, attracting investment, social certifications and understanding customer motivations. This interview is part of the Small business, Big impact series, recorded 17 November 2021. Resources mentioned: Goodwill Wine - buy some wine, subscribe to the newsletter, or contact David at https://goodwillwine.com.au/ Social Traders Certification and Social Enterprise Finder - https://www.socialtraders.com.au/

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About

Interviews with Australia's leading people- and planet-positive small and medium businesses and startups. Our purpose is to inspire and empower SMEs to find their sustainability superpowers, protect the environment, give back to their community and tap into the demand for sustainable products and brands for growth.

Information

  • Creator
    Small Mighty CSR
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Small Mighty CSR
  • Show Website
    Small business, Big impact