Socielle has launched a new business model that hopes to change the way not-for-profit organisations receive funding for projects.
‘Shopfunding’, dubbed the crowdfunding of the future, is a process similar to collecting loyalty points from a store.
For each purchase made through Socielle, the buyer will be given points which they can then allocate to a cause of their choice, helping to fund important projects being run by a number of different charity partners.
The online retailer sells fashion, accessories, home, stationery and jewellery.
Socielle founder Rechelle Coombes said the current way consumers buy and dispose of retail is not sustainable.
“We’re starting to see consumers understand their impact, and as the world becomes a smaller place thanks to the internet and social media, these issues can no longer be swept under the carpet,” she said.
Coombes hopes not-for-profits will eventually need less marketing due to businesses making contributions through programs such as shopfunding.
“The problem with existing social enterprises is that they’re not targeted at a mainstream audience,” she said.
“It’s sad, but I often see brands have a “hidden” values system behind the brand, so it still appeals to those who don’t fit in the eco/ethical bucket.”
Coombes said design will still serve an important purpose in the venture.
“I myself felt super out of place buying from ‘eco shops’ or ‘green shops’ where I felt the aesthetics didn’t match mine but the values did,” she said.
“But socially conscious brands are on the rise, and recent certifications like the B.Corp are providing ways for corporates and businesses to introduce ethics and sustainability principles into their everyday production.”
The products featured in Socielle are sourced from numerous ethical brands across the globe.
“I built my values system to show where and how some brands and products were being produced sustainably or ethically,” she said.
“We are definitely in no place where brands and products are perfect throughout every part of the value chain - but we’re getting closer.”
She said Socielle itself aims to be as ethical as possible in every aspect of business.
It does this by leveraging recycled stock for all printed items, finding printers who use eco friendly dyes, limiting the packaging wherever possible, sourcing items from other socially responsible business and utilising more sustainable suppliers such as Sendle for (carbon neutral) local deliveries, to work with.
“Businesses that are socially conscious will be catalysts for change in the future. What policy can’t and won’t fix - businesses will be able to influence," Coombes said.