Meet the Finalists of the 2022 Circle Awards People’s Choice Category

Launched in 2021, the Circle Awards recognise those leading the way to a better future – a future in which the planet, people and economies can all thrive, not just survive.⁠ With 18 categories available for entry, the awards offer businesses the chance to be recognised for their individual achievements and continue to plan and innovate for the future. For founder Nick Hoskin, this emphasis on improvement is his guiding principle in both the criteria for entry and also in the unique judging criteria, which includes a public vote for the People’s Choice Award. 

“Our focus is on celebrating those making progress towards a better future, not just those who are doing things perfectly,” he says.  

READ MORE – Make Change Happen: The 2022 Ethical Fashion Report Calls for Action

With judging complete and the winners announced, we caught up with the finalists in the People’s Choice category (presented by Peppermint but voted for by the public) about what the award nomination meant to them. 

FLORAL IMAGE 

Tell us about your business…

Floral Image is the largest sustainable flower service in the world, with a network of 84 franchises in 18 countries across the globe. We rent beautiful, artificial flower arrangements to businesses on a monthly basis to help brighten up their space for their customers, clients and employees. 

Our friendly Floral Image reps will come by and refresh your floral arrangement with a new design each month. Our service is a sustainable alternative, 80 times better for the environment when compared to fresh flowers over an average five-year lifespan. [Editor’s note: As reported by a five-year LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) by EDGE Environment commissioned by Floral Image.]

What do sustainability and circularity mean to you? 

These both act as benchmarks that we continue to strive for across all aspects of the business. Both internally, regarding product development and lifecycle, and externally, when it comes to educating customers on the benefits of our service.

We use both raw and recycled materials to create our flowers which vary between designs. We are on a journey to use more sustainable and renewable materials while maintaining our premium life-like quality.

You were a finalist in The Circle Awards People’s Choice category for 2022 and subsequently won the public vote. What does this recognition mean to you and your business? 

We are super grateful to everyone in our network and beyond who voted and helped us win this category. We hope this recognition will assist us in bringing our sustainable flower service to the masses!

ReLove

Tell us about your business… 

In 2020, during COVID lockdowns in Sydney, my friend Ben and I started to notice staggering amounts of good quality furniture and household items being left on the curb for collection, to go to landfill. At the same time, we saw women escaping domestic violence, with few possessions and little funding, trying to set up homes. We simply joined the dots.

We set ourselves a goal to help five families leave the women’s refuge and establish a home. We wanted to help them create a safe place of their own, with great quality stuff, and provide them with a dignified way to restart their lives.  Three months later, we had supported 50 families to set up homes. We were astonished by the level of waste and the demand for good quality furniture, and couldn’t stop. From here ReLove was born. Two years later we have supported over 1000 families and rescued over 3000 tonnes of furniture from landfill.

We have an ambitious goal to rehome 1000 families in crisis over the next year by giving them the dignity to choose how they want to live. 

It’s been joyous, beyond hard at times, inspiring, heartbreaking and always humbling. 

What do sustainability and circularity mean to you? 

At ReLove we are driven by the need to help people living in crisis establish a home. Whilst securing housing can be a considerable challenge, we know that the ability to make a home is a crucial step in supporting people to restart their lives. We provide an environmentally sustainable solution to this silent crisis on our doorstep by rescuing great quality furniture and household items from corporate relocations, hotels, suppliers and our community, and redirecting them to people accessing safe housing. Our Botany warehouse is now a free store where referred clients can experience the joy of shopping for everything they need to furnish their new homes. This is an important step in restarting their lives, empowering them with the agency of choice at a time they need it most. ReLove is a circular economy in action.

You were a finalist in The Circle Awards People’s Choice category for 2022. What does that recognition mean to you? 

Ben and I are thrilled that just two years into our journey we have been named a finalist in The Circle Awards. The last two years have been an incredible journey for us both personally and professionally. It’s been joyous, beyond hard at times, inspiring, heartbreaking and always humbling. We have learned so much and met so many incredible human beings along the way. 

Thank you to everyone who has walked beside us: our volunteers, corporate donors, supporters, staff and, of course, our friends and families. We couldn’t have done it without you all. Because of this amazing outpouring of support, we have achieved more than we would ever have thought possible.

CHIA SWIM 

Tell us about your business… 

CHIA is a wavy, futuristic, green-coloured circular fashion store located in the heart of Byron Bay. With one of the most sustainable fit-outs globally, the sophisticated and beautiful space is crafted with innovative materials including recycled plastic hangers, hempcrete furniture, magnesia cement benchtops and upcycled-towel curtains. Our mission is to make sustainable habits accessible to inspire people to move from awareness to action and experience the emerging trends in the circular fashion industry. These include occasionwear rental, pre-loved clothing and our bulk beauty station with a selection of organic skincare oils for users to refill their containers with. As well as having our own swimwear label made with regenerated nylon, at CHIA we host a selection of sustainable brands. These go through an assessment process that allows us to distinguish between an eco-garment and what is just clever greenwashing.

What do sustainability and circularity mean to you? 

Circularity is a collaborative system where the concept of waste doesn’t exist, just like in nature. As for sustainability, it applies to broader concepts with its three pillars being social, environmental, and financial. For example, when we say this material is sustainable, it means there are efforts throughout its life cycle to reduce negative social, environmental and financial impacts.

You were a finalist in The Circle Awards People’s Choice category for 2022. What does this recognition mean to you and your business? 

Grateful for the support and for the opportunity The Circle Awards provides! As consumers ourselves, we are part of a community that is aware that our current systems and consumption behaviours are not sustainable. We are excited to see our community grow and be able to provide sustainable fashion alternatives that are fun, avant-garde and striving for circularity.