Social enterprises
You are encouraged to buy from social enterprises to support economic and social change for disadvantaged people.
On this page
What you need to know
- Buying from social enterprises help drive social and environmental change.
- Several policies make it easier to buy from social enterprises.
- You have access to a database of certified social enterprises.
Understand what is a social enterprise
A social enterprise is a business that trades to intentionally drive social or environmental change.
The primary purpose of a social enterprise may be to:
- tackle social problems
- improve communities
- provide people access to employment and training
- help the environment.
Procurement from social enterprises provides significant opportunities for social change for disadvantaged Australians.
Social enterprises operate in every industry
Most social enterprises that service NSW provide:
- training and education services
- business and administration services
- cleaning services and equipment supplies
- community and social services
- horticulture and arboriculture
- foods and beverage products.
Social enterprises are supported by policies
Some social enterprises are small to medium businesses (SMEs), Aboriginal businesses and Australian disability enterprises.
This means they qualify for preferences and exemptions under:
Find a social enterprise
NSW Government buyers can find verified social enterprises to buy from through:
- Social Traders Buyer Portal (to request access, please email nswbuy@treasury.nsw.gov.au)
- Social Trader's public directory which maintains a list of verified social enterprises.
You can also log in and search for social enterprises, verified Aboriginal businesses and verified Australian disability enterprises.