Photo: Civik

The property sector has a unique opportunity to drive lasting social and environmental change while boosting business performance. A key step to this is integrating social enterprises into your supply chain to meet ESG commitments, enhance your brand reputation, and gain a competitive edge.

Partnering with social enterprise for impact

The property sector can create significant impact by working with social enterprises. From FY18-FY24, Social Traders members in the property industry reported a cumulative total of $89 million spent with 164 certified social enterprises. The property industry makes up 7% of our membership base.

By choosing certified social enterprises as suppliers, property companies can build strong, sustainable businesses that benefit people and the planet. Social enterprises support many people across our communities, including people with disabilities, young people, refugees, people escaping domestic violence or homelessness, as well as supporting the environment.

Our Report on Identified Social Enterprises (RISE) highlights social enterprises as a resilient business model to generate social and environmental impact:

• 26,000 Australians employed, many facing barriers to work.

• $1.8 billion generated annually through trade.

• 39% of social enterprises rely entirely on trade income, proving their commercial viability.

In the property industry, there are two groups of people that are benefiting most from social procurement:

• 13% of social procurement supports long term unemployed people, compared to 7% for all other industries

• 18% of social procurement supports environmental sustainability, compared to 3% for all other industries

The three most common social procurement spend categories for the property industry are:

• Building trade, repairs & maintenance

• Horticulture & arboriculture

• Human resource services & recruitment

A shift in business priorities: ESG isn’t going away

Regulatory changes and rising ESG expectations are reshaping business priorities. The “S”- or social- is becoming a focus for regulators:

• Mandatory sustainability reporting for large Australian businesses started in January 2025.

• The Australian government released its response to the Modern Slavery Review reforms with recommendations to expand reporting and civil penalties for non-compliance.

• International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) has open research into mandatory human capital disclosures, including how entities might report on it in financial statements.

The need to embed and report on ESG isn’t going away. More companies view ESG as a competitive advantage and are getting ahead of reporting requirements, using it as an opportunity to create real business value.

Social procurement is a straightforward and trackable way to activate and report on ESG. We can help you report on the specific community and environmental outcomes your spend creates.

Strategic advantages of social procurement

Social procurement offers several strategic advantages:

• Win government contracts: Public sector mandates require suppliers to meet social procurement criteria.

• Attract top talent: Purpose-driven companies appeal to skilled professionals seeking meaningful work.

• Build customer trust: Over 60% of consumers consider sustainability and ethics in purchasing decisions according to PwC’s 2023 ESG Trends report

• Strengthen supply chains: Social enterprises provide local, sustainable solutions, reducing reliance on global suppliers.

• Deliver measurable impact: We can help you quantify and communicate the tangible impact of your spend such as hours of employment supported or tonnes of waste diverted from landfill through a Social Spend Report.

Leading examples in the property sector

• Charter Hall & Two Good Co: In 2021, Two Good Co started supplying soap to Charter Hall’s offices, and three years later, the partnership thrives with nearly 20,000 litres provided annually. Charter Hall's support, totalling over $1 million in FY24, significantly funds programs for women experiencing family violence and homelessness.

• Mirvac & Green Connect: Since 2020, Mirvac has partnered with Green Connect for over 41 waste audits, improving waste diversion and providing jobs to refugees, young unemployed and Indigenous Australians. This partnership helped Mirvac recycle 66% of its operational waste in FY24.

Embed social procurement with our help

Since 2017, Social Traders has helped businesses embed social procurement into their business strategies to deliver positive impact. As a Social Traders member, you gain:

• Access to Australia’s largest certified social enterprise network.

• Expert guidance to de-risk your supply chain and streamline social procurement.

• Industry-leading tools to measure and report social impact.