in partnership with
sustainability
awards
2024
Drum roll please... Australia’s first marie claire Sustainability Awards are here... a celebration of the brands, organisations, and products that are genuinely implementing change and building a better tomorrow. In proud partnership with Volvo.
#thefutureiselectric
Why sustainability?
Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword but represents a commitment to our future. It isn’t a “nice to have” it’s a “must-have”. And it’s why we are so excited, to work with our partner Volvo to recognise and applaud the brands and people that are truly leading the planet-positive charge.
We selected 28 nominees across 7 categories. These nominees are the visionaries, pioneers and trailblazers who strive for the greater good for both our people and our planet, pushing the boundaries and proving that impact and business can indeed go hand in hand. These are the brands and people that are forging ahead and building a brighter future for all. Our expert panel of judges have now selected the final category winners - along with a special inaugural Hall of Fame winner – and we couldn’t be more excited to reveal to you our inaugural winners of the 2024 marie claire Sustainability Awards. Prepare to be inspired.
What is the Real Cost of Shein?
Marie Claire Celebrates The Winners Of The 2024 Sustainabilty Awards
marie claire is incredibly proud to partner with Volvo Car Australia to present our inaugural Sustainability Awards. The launch of the new all electric Volvo EX30 this year is part of Volvo’s ambitious plan to only sell fully-electric cars by 2026. For Volvo Car Australia Managing Director Stephen Connor, the plan is something that couldn’t be achieved without a generation of Australians who are open about embracing an electric future.
“Australian consumers are early adaptors of new technologies, and they are embracing fully electric cars in increasing numbers,” Stephen Connor, Managing Director, Volvo
electric ambitions
Meet Marie Claire’s 2024 Sustainability Award Winners
Georgie Abay, marie claire Editor
click to learn about our judges
Lottie Dalziel
Founder, advocate and sustainability expert
Since founding her B-Corp, eco-friendly business Banish in 2018, Dalziel has made it her mission to empower others to be kinder to the planet, connecting with more than 100,000 Australians every day. Through the Banish Recycling and Disposal (BRAD) program, which Dalziel also runs, 2 million blister packs have been diverted from landfill and recycled in the past five years. For her efforts she won the title of Eco-Warrior of the Year at the 2023 marie claire Women of the Year Awards
GEorgie Abay
Editor, marie claire
As the editor of marie claire, Georgie is passionate about championing the people and brands who are working hard to make a difference in the world. For Georgie, prioritising ecological health, social equity, and economic resilience is key for future generations. Marie claire has been spotlighting inspiring change makers for decades, as well as sharing the stories we need to hear – from the ongoing impact of climate change, and its devastating consequences for women and children to how to shop in a more sustainable fashion. She is proud to kick off our inaugural marie claire Sustainability Awards.
CLARE PRESS
Activist, author and changemaker
If you’ve ever wondered which fashion brands put people and planet before profits, Clare Press is the woman to ask. Clare is a passionate sustainability communicator, filmmaker, author and presenter and has shaped our views on forward-thinking fashion brands in this country. She has hosted podcasts, sat on advisory boards, commentated on media, given international keynote speeches and written with conviction about the need for the industry to take stock. Fashion has never looked better then when seen through Clare’s insightful gaze.
ANDIE HALAS
Founder and chair of Thread Together
With one big lightbulb moment, Andie became Australia’s fixer of excess fashion. Her idea? Collect the surplus stock from Australia’s leading fashion houses and redistribute it to Australia’s most needy. As a result, her lauded company – Thread Together – has diverted from landfill thousands of kilos of waste, while providing new clothing to thousands of people who may be homeless, displaced or disadvantaged.
Our four 2024 marie claire Sustainability Awards judges have well and truly earned their green credentials.
meet the judges
sustainability awards 2024
© 2024 Are Media Pty Ltd.
Explore the categories
Get inspired
Meet the Winners
meet the Winners
click for Winners
Is A Luxury Handbag A Good Investment?
Marie Claire Celebrates The Winners Of The 2024 Sustainability Awards
FASHION
Fashion nominees
A celebration of fashion-forward brands that are weaving sustainability into every thread. From fabric to function, these brands are reducing the impact our wardrobes have on the planet.
Founder Maggie Hewitt’s mission is to “use fashion to create a better world”. This B-Corp-certified, climate-positive New Zealand label considers the planet at every stage of its supply chain: from where its products are made and who makes them, to using certified and traceable fibres chosen for their high quality and sustainability. As part of its transparency strategy, each year Maggie Marilyn releases a comprehensive impact report that outlines its goals, current position and progress from the previous year.
Maggie Marilyn
Bringing a social impact model to the fashion industry is hard yakka. But Magpie Goose, a First Nations designed, owned and run social enterprise, successfully combines purpose and profit. The garments with their iconic prints by Indigenous artists are hand-screen-printed on 100 per cent natural linen or cotton and ethically made in Australia. Magpie Goose continues to innovate, utilising some offcuts for its accessories range and donating others to Melbourne-based charity Second Stitch.
magpie goose
ReCreate clothing “exists to transform the lives of their makers through fair and purposeful employment, individual training and empowerment”, says founder Erica Gadsby. The New Zealander started the brand to provide fair employment to marginalised women in Cambodia, and for more than a decade ReCreate’s workshop has taught locals how to sew. ReCreate thinks about the end at the beginning, posing the question of where this garment will end up. Because of this, it has removed additional “trimmings” such as zips to ensure the whole garment can be recycled.
Recreate
Jam The Label designs with all the people on the planet in mind. Emma Clegg and Molly Rogers were previously working as occupational therapists and disability support workers and saw first-hand how difficult it was for the 15-20 per cent of people globally living with disability to dress each day. Each garment is “designed to make dressing easier” by incorporating subtle changes to classic designs. For example, shorter backs on tops and jackets for wheelchair users, Velcro wrist clasps and magnets instead of buttons. A brand that is weaving sustainability into its core by using natural fabrics and also by partnering with AirRobe to resell garments and give them a second life.
Jam the label
Learn more
ACCESSORIES
ACCESSORIES nominees
Wear your heart on your wrist, neck and ears – these four labels are putting the planet and people front of mind.
Travel
Food & Drink
parenting
Home & LIFESTYLE
Beauty, health & Wellness
Fashion
We’re passionate about sustainability at marie claire and we know you are too. See who made the nominee list in our Sustainability Awards for 2024 by clicking through all the categories below. All winners, including an inaugural Hall of Fame recipient, will be announced on May 16.
hall of fame & winners
Meet all the nominees
It wasn’t easy coming up with the winners in our first annual Sustainability Awards, and when you see our list of outstanding nominees you’ll see why. All of the 28 nominees across seven different categories deserve to be celebrated – plus our special Hall of Fame winner. Please click through all the categories below to see who is making a real difference in the world.
Accessories nominees
Natalie Marie Jewellery’s “intention to create consciously is part of our DNA”. It does this in many ways, from handmaking each piece to order so there’s no dead stock, and even incorporates metal dust and offcuts into its pieces. Though it’s no easy feat, it works with each cog in the supply chain to obtain high sustainability standards, including the use of 100 per cent recycled sterling silver and 70 per cent recycled gold.
Natalie Marie Jewellery
Blakbird Designs is a fully First Nations outfit, designed and owned by Gomeroi and Galpu woman Nikki Gallagher. The range focuses on the Indigenous principles of rainbow and fire, utilising cultural beauty to create joy and bring sparks of light to the community. Designs include bespoke hand-painted pieces, woven earrings that embody our changing seasons and the use of hand-cut Australian leathers. Each piece is one of a kind and tells its own unique story.
BLAKBIRD DESIGNS
Local Supply eyewear is good for you and the planet. It uses plant-based materials, including frames made from bio-acetate, a plant-based resin that looks great and is biodegradable and BPA-free. Founder Sean Satha uses his engineering background to continually evolve the brand, creating timeless classics that are high quality and affordable. There’s also a returns program to recycle products at the end of their lives.
LOCAL SUPPLY
Founded in 2012 by Charlotte Blakeney, By Charlotte is working hard to educate and inspire its community to shop responsibly. Its pieces radiate love and light and are crafted using closed-loop manufacturing principles to create as little waste as possible. Certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council, the hand-crafted Australian-made range features ethically sourced jewellery and designs free from toxic metals.
BY CHARLOTTE
beauty, Health & wellness
beauty, health & wellness nominees
The sustainable beauty landscape is difficult to navigate, but these brands are driving change across theboard, from packaging and design to ethos and mission.
beauty, health & wellness
The sustainable beauty landscape is difficult to navigate, but these brands are driving change across the board, from packaging and design to ethos and mission.
Emma Lewisham
Lashes of Change is Australia’s first refillable, cruelty-free mascara that gives back, donating 25 per cent of all profits to Breast Cancer Research. When it comes to mascara one size doesn’t fit all, which is why Lashes of Change provides customers with the option to customise their mascara from the casing to the formula and the brush’s bristle type. Once you’re finished with it you keep 90 per cent of the packaging and purchase a new cartridge, so you can be confident you’ll have great lashes time and time again.
Lashes of Change
Travellers and hotels around the globe throw away five million cakes of barely used soap every day, and it’s estimated that over two billion people lack basic sanitation, leading to the spread of infectious diseases. That’s where Soap Aid comes in. Soap Aid sorts, cleans and reprocesses hotel soap into new, hygienic soap bars that can be distributed to communities in need around the world. It’s the perfect solution, as the not-for profit group has diverted more than 290 tonnes of soap from landfill and provided more than 500,000 children and adults with a year’s supply of soap.
SOAP AID
Enter ReMI, the next-gen in beauty. Founders Marta Novovic and Kiyoung Sung have created moisturising stones that replace traditional plastic skincare containers. Formulated by Marta and handmade in small batches in Melbourne, these night and day stones are not only highly effective but there are fewer emissions emitted in their manufacture. The only packaging is minimal paper boxes for shipping (though you can buy a beautiful keepsake ceramic box to store them in).
REMI BEAUTY
A pioneer in the sustainable beauty industry, Emma Lewisham was the first in the world to offer a circular beauty recycling program. Beauty Circle focuses on designing refillable packaging that can be responsibly recycled. It’s estimated that as part of the reduce, reuse, recycle ethos, a refillable product creates 70 per cent fewer carbon emissions. For Lewisham, a certified B-Corp company, transparency is a core pillar of the brand. From campaigning for international regulatory changes to being certified Climate Positive, it is setting a new standard of what it means to be a sustainable brand.
food & Drink
Parenting
home & Lifestyle
Beauty, HEalth & wellness
Accessories
Home & Lifestyle
Home & Lifestyle nominees
Home is where the heart is, and also where most of our sustainable habits start. Meet four brands that are leading the way.
home & lifestyle
It’s hard to clean up the cleaning industry, but that’s where Pleasant State comes in. It’s working hard to reduce plastic packaging and toxic nasties with a range of refillable, natural cleaning products. Pleasant State has Australia’s first concentrated cleaning bar that dissolves in water, stopping the need for thousands of litres of water that make up much of many cleaners from having to be shipped around the country. From its origins as a crowd-funding campaign in 2020, this Australian-made, female-founded start-up is aiming to have stopped more than 450,000 single-use plastic bottles from entering landfill (and oceans) by the end of this year.
Pleasant State
Thinking of ditching digital? Film cameras are trendy (again), but rather than buying a single-use camera there’s a great reusable alternative from 35mm Co. Madi Stefanis started selling vintage cameras when she was 22 and noticed a demand for film photography. When demand was high, but supply was low she decided to create her own. Built for precision, purpose and the planet, 35mm Co is redefining the 'fast photography' trend creating a reloadable camera that will stand the test of time.
35MM Co
When Dushyant and Vinita Baravkar saw the environmental and health impacts of the conventional cotton industry, they could no longer sleep easily. They set out to create a brand with organic cotton sourced from small-scale farmers employing ethical and sustainable practices. Bhumi, which means mother earth in Sanskrit was born as a way to support farmers and provide consumers with toxin-free bedding made from GOTS-certified organic cotton. Their “Seed to Shelf” transparency process provides consumers with the peace of mind that they are doing good.
BHUMI
Alex Barnett began designing items for his cocker spaniel Pixel when he couldn’t find products that fit his ethos and needs. After starting on Etsy in 2016, the brand has always strived to create a greener future for all furry friends no matter how big or small. All its products are cruelty-free and use salvaged, recycled or natural cotton materials to craft beautiful and sustainable collars, beds, leashes and accessories built to last.
Animals in charge
parenting nominees
Building a sustainable future for the next generation has never been more important. From baby balms to sleeping accessories, these nominees are looking after our little humans.
Sande Kids
When mother of two Sophie couldn’t find a sustainable, safe cot mattress for her children she created her own. Milari cot mattresses and pillows are made from natural latex, Australian wool, organic coconut coir and GOTS-certified organic cotton, allowing bub (and parents) to sleep easy.
Milari Organics
Toy Libraries Australia is the peak body behind a group of more than 280 not-for-profit toy libraries across the country. Focusing on the power of sharing, reusing and reducing waste, toy libraries are the epitome of sustainability, providing families with educational and fun toys on loan for a fraction of the cost of buying new.
TOY Libraries Australia
Founder Sonya Khouri saw a gap in the market when she couldn’t find effective and functional nappy rash cream to use on the go for her son. Malo Baby’s hero product, its Nappy Rash Spray, has helped thousands of babies not just with nappy rash but associated dry skin issues. The range is made from simple, effective Australian ingredients like Kakadu Plum as well as calendula and chamomile to soothe rashes and irritations.
MALO BABY
After a day at the beach, don’t take the sand home with you – leave it by the ocean. Designed by a busy family who love adventuring outdoors but wanted to make life easier, Sande Kids makes a Fair Trade hand-crafted brush with all-natural coconut husk and jute fibre bristles, meaning that it will break down at end of life. As the name suggests, you simply brush down your littlies (plus surfboards, pets and sundry other items) at the end of an adventure, keeping the sand where it belongs and everything else nice and clean. There are also mesh beach bags and kids’ car seat liners.
TRAVEL
FOOD & DRINK nominees
From imperfect picks to ingestible beauty and grabbing a coffee in between, our nominees are saving the planet one sip at a time!
FOOD & DRINK
From imperfect fruit to ingestible beauty and grabbing a coffee in between, our nominees are saving the planet one sip at a time!
UGLY VODKA
Remembering to head out with your reusable cups and bottles is tricky, but being able to fit them all in your bag or in your hands is a further juggle. Enter Hitch: the first full-sized water bottle with a removable coffee cup (and lid) hidden inside. Made from 40 per cent recycled stainless steel, this super sleek design is the perfect everyday companion, so you’ll never be caught out again. The brand successfully launched off the back of a Kickstarter in 2020 and can now be found in 105 countries.
HITCH
The Hidden Sea is on a mission to clean up the oceans, which is why for every bottle of its wine purchased 10 discarded plastic bottles are removed from the ocean and recycled. Since July 2020 it has removed more than 25 million plastic bottles using the ReSea Project. With grapes from one of the most iconic South Australian wine regions, this company is putting the planet first down to the last drop: it’s carbon neutral, uses sustainable agriculture practices, is vegan and– crucially – the wines taste great.
The Hidden Sea
In 2014, Felicity Evans was on a mission to improve her gut health, and when she couldn’t find a solution she created it. Imbibe Living has made sustainability a core pillar of its business: its ethos is about making beauty better. Its formulations are not only effective but exclude any nasties, and all manufacturing takes place within a 100km radius of its Byron Bay warehouse, which is powered by 100 per cent renewable energy. The iconic refillable range has no labels on its glass jars to further increase the recyclability.
IMBIBE
Despite the name, there’s a pretty cool story behind Ugly Vodka. The brand uses imperfect or “ugly” apples to craft a delicious and planet-positive brew, all within Victoria! In its first batch alone it was able to repurpose 20,000 kilograms of ugly apples that would have otherwise been discarded. Plus, its distinctive bottles also use a third less glass than traditional ones, which further reduces the carbon footprint.
Travel nominees
Leave nothing but footprints and support the blooming eco-tourism industry. These four brands are redefining sustainable luxury.
Freycinet Lodge
Nestled in the Daintree where the rainforest meets the reef, Daintree Ecolodge lets you escape the 9-5 and reconnect with nature. It’s hidden in the canopy of the World Heritage-listed Daintree Rainforest, which was listed more than 35 years ago after passionate protests to protect the area. The lodge is Climate Action certified, has a glorious onsite waterfall and its restaurant, Julaymba, features organic, homegrown and seasonal produce.
Daintree Ecolodge
Escape the grind and experience the spectacular Karijini National Park like never before at Karijini Eco Retreat. A remote 1,500km north of Perth, this retreat embodies sustainability with its luxurious glamping experience. Fill your days with rocky gorges, emerald green lagoons and starry night skies. The retreat is fully owned by the Gumala Aboriginal Corporation and operates with environmental, cultural and geographic values in partnership with the government and the traditional owners, the Banjima, Yinhawangka and Nyiyaparli people.
Karijini Eco Retreat
On a mission to make travelling easy, Solgaard’s B Corp certified luggage offers planet-friendly and accessible options for when you’re on the go. The smart cases are made to last with an “indestructible” polycarbonate shell, recycled plastic liner and in-built shelving system that makes unpacking a breeze and keeps you organised. There is also a range of clever backpacks. Evolving from a Kickstarter campaign in 2016, Solgaard has saved more than 3 million pieces of plastic waste from our oceans, as each purchase goes towards recovering 229 plastic bottles.
Solgaard
With spectacular views over Great Oyster Bay and a stone's throw from Wineglass Bay, Freycinet Lodge offers guests an unforgettable experience. The only accommodation in Tasmania’s Freycinet National Park, the lodge prides itself on showing off the area’s great natural beauty while making the smallest eco-impact. Guests are offered a plethora of outdoor activities including guided walking tours, e-bikes and kayaking. Due to its smaller footprint, Freycinet Lodge holds an EcoStar Tourism Accreditation.
Winners
click to explore winners
MAggie Marilyn
and the winners are ...
The wait is over. Our expert panel of judges has selected the brands and people who represent the best in sustainability for 2024.
“We believe the future of fashion is rooted in transparency, circularity, regeneration and inclusion.” – Maggie Hewitt
To create beautiful and sustainable jewellery, Natalie Fitch must go the extra mile – and she does so happily, leaving no stone unturned. Each piece is handmade to order so there’s no dead stock, using ethically sourced and recycled materials, and even incorporating metal filings and offcuts into its pieces. Though no easy feat, Natalie Marie Jewellery works with each cog in the supply chain to maintain high sustainability standards, including using 100 per cent recycled sterling silver and 70 per cent recycled gold. “Our brand is built around a direct-to-consumer, made-to-order business model, enabling us to effectively minimise waste and only create to demand,” says Fitch from her showroom on Sydney’s Northern Beaches (pictured above). “Our pieces are handcrafted to order in our Avalon studio, which provides us with a great deal of control over materials, supply chain and production methods.”
Natalie MArie Jewellery
“Our brand is built around a made-to-order model, enabling us to effectively minimise waste” – Natalie Fitch
emma lewisham
beauty
“The biggest impact on our planet is the act of creating something new” – Emma Lewisham
What do beauty-obsessed tweens and eco warrior Dr Jane Goodall have in common? They are all fans of Emma Lewisham skincare. Tweens love it for its effectiveness and cool-girl aesthetic, but getting the endorsement of legendary conservationist Goodall required some major steps, such as becoming the world’s first certified climate-positive beauty brand. Lewisham (pictured) launched her brand in 2019, believing she had “an ethical and environmental responsibility to change how business is done”. A driving force behind her mission is the current economic model. “Finite resources are extracted to make products that are then thrown away. It’s simply not sustainable,” she says. Lewisham focuses on refilling and reusing. “The sale of our refills has helped save more than 80 tonnes of carbon emissions. Our returns program is focused on refilling, not recycling, she explains. “We ask customers to return their empty refills to us so we can sterilise them, refill them and then resell them. Any packaging that can’t be refilled, we pay to be properly recycled through our specialised partner.”
“Being a purpose-led business means leading with hope” Ami Bateman and Sian Murray
It’s hard to clean up the cleaning industry, but that’s where Pleasant State comes in. Since launching the just-add-water home care products in 2020, co-founders Ami Bateman and Sian Murray have revolutionised the industry by keeping more than 250,000 plastic bottles out of landfill. “Our purpose is to change the way we clean homes for good by providing zero-waste and verified non-toxic cleaning products that actually work,” say the pair. “Being a purpose-led business means leading with hope and empowering individuals to take the future of their health and the planet into their own hands.” The concept is simple: replace bottles of liquid products with effective, non-toxic cleaning bars that dissolve in tap water to do the same job, but better. The company declares that doing good is good for business. And in the marketplace, this good business is cleaning up.
toy libraries australia
“Sustainability is central to toy libraries” – Debbie Williams
New toys are always a hit when they come home, but on average kids lose interest in them within 36 days, studies show. And there’s the environmental cost, as 51 per cent of toys are discarded within 12 months of purchase. That’s 100,000 tonnes of unwanted toys every year. But by focusing on the power of sharing, reusing and reducing waste, toy libraries are fighting back. The first toy library in Australia opened more than 50 years ago, in Melbourne. Today, Toy Libraries Australia is the peak body behind more than 280 not-for-profit toy libraries, largely staffed by volunteers. Toys are vetted to meet the “Toy Community” safety requirements and buyers consider many factors, but the key focus is on quality, durable, fun and educational toys, games, puzzles and activities for children aged primarily 0-12 years old. “Sustainability is central to toy libraries,” explains Debbie Williams, CEO of Toy Libraries Australia. “A large part of what we advocate for is the repair and restoration of toys, to keep them in circulation longer and out of landfill.”
Maggie Marilyn’s collections are filled with items you’ll wear again and again: striped shirts, classic blazers, organic cotton tees that fit perfectly. But there’s added comfort in knowing you’re wearing fashion that’s not only chic, but sustainable. The climate-positive brand goes beyond net-zero emissions and creates an environmental benefit by removing additional carbon from the atmosphere. “Buy as you need, repair what you can and repurpose what you can’t,” is the brand’s philosophy. “Maggie Marilyn believes that our planet’s survival hinges on its ability to dream up a better tomorrow, which is why we believe the future of fashion is rooted in transparency, circularity, regeneration, and inclusion,” says its New Zealand founder and designer, Maggie Hewitt. B Corp certified since 2022, Maggie Marilyn joined the world’s fashion brands ranked highest for social and environmental impact. The brand uses FibreTrace to verify the supply chain from raw fibre to shop and is working to transition from natural fibres to regenerative ones, such as Good Earth Cotton. “Nothing is impossible when you combine collective force with brave ideas,” says Hewitt.
Ugly Vodka
“In its first batch alone, Ugly Vodka repurposed 20,000 kilograms of ugly apples that would have otherwise been discarded to landfill”
It’s not often you get to drink with a completely clear conscience. But the creators behind sustainable alcohol brand Ugly Vodka have given you one less thing to worry about. Despite the name, there’s a pretty cool story behind Ugly Vodka. To combat the food wastage crisis, which sees thousands of imperfect apples discarded each day, Ugly Vodka takes those “ugly” apples and crafts a delicious and planet-positive brew, all within Victoria. In its first batch alone, it repurposed 20,000 kilograms of ugly apples that would have otherwise been discarded to landfill – in turn producing methane. And it doesn’t stop there: Ugly Vodka’s distinctive bottles use a third less glass than traditional ones, further reducing its footprint.
“Located a 2.5-hour drive from Hobart, this accommodation really showcases Tasmania’s raw beauty”
One of the most important aspects of sustainable tourism is preserving our natural resources for many generations to come and Freycinet Lodge does just that. Opening in 1932, the lodge is situated in Freycinet National Park, 2.5 hours’ drive from Hobart. Each of the facilities and cabins are linked by raised boardwalks to preserve nature and let animals explore freely. Freycinet Lodge proudly holds an EcoStar Tourism Accreditation, the highest level of recognition and has received accolades both nationally and internationally for its unique architectural and numerous boutique and sustainable wedding awards. With sweeping views over Great Oyster Bay and a stone’s throw from Wineglass Bay, Freycinet Lodge offers an unforgettable experience. Guests can choose from coastal, bushland or mountain terrace accommodation options, which highlight different aspects of Tasmania’s unique landscape. Accommodation ranges from four to 4.5-star cabins to luxurious pavilions. Visitors are offered a plethora of invigorating outdoor activities, such as discovering secluded “squeaky clean” beaches that are home to pods of dolphins, guided walking tours in the mountains, and e-bike hire.
ronni kahn
hall of fame
This legendary social entrepreneur founded her charity 20 years ago and has been wildly successful in transforming Australia's food waste landscape.
Reducing food waste to feed the hungry is Ronni Kahn’s mission in life. And she’s been wildly successful. By founding Australia’s leading food rescue charity OzHarvest in 2004, the social entrepreneur has transformed the food waste landscape nationwide over the past 20 years. OzHarvest works to redistribute food to those in need. The simple concept came about from Kahn’s previous work in the events industry, where she witnessed the stark contrast between the many people living with food insecurity and the thousands of kilos of food left over after corporate events. She connected the two and started redirecting surplus food from her events business to charities. Due to legislation, this was no easy task, so Kahn lobbied governments to pass a civil liabilities act allowing organisations to give food away without fear of liability. This was passed in 2005 in NSW – with other states following suit – and removed the key hurdles around food redistribution. After leading OzHarvest for the better part of two decades, Kahn passed the CEO baton on in March this year, but she will remain involved in her life’s most fulfilling work. And Australia will be forever grateful.
