Australia’s leader in sustainable packaging was announced as one of the 2023 Meaningful Business 100.
The award recognises impactful individuals who contribute to improving the health of communities and sustainability in the environment. This year, Kate Bezar from Better Packaging Co was a worthy recipient due to her efforts in developing sustainability and environmental awareness.
Packaging from Better Packaging Co
The Awards
Entering its fifth year in 2023, the Meaningful Business 100 (MB100) honours social entrepreneurs, business leaders and investors who contribute to the Global Goals outlined by the UN. As well as receiving esteem for their important and – work, each recipient is also entered into the MB100 program, which helps them to continue spreading their impact through workshops, mentorships and networking opportunities.
This year, the winners were selected from over 800 nominees spanning across 39 countries. The founder and CEO of Meaningful Business, Tom Lytton-Dicki, commented on the importance of the awards as they highlight those who strive to make the world a better place.
“Congratulations to Kate Bezar whose work at Better Packaging Co. is an inspiration to us all. We are at a critical juncture in the 2030 agenda and there is a lot of work to be done in order to achieve the Global Goals. Leaders like Kate provide a benchmark in the profit and purpose space, and we look forward to supporting their work as they continue to scale and make a substantial difference,” he said.
According to the MB100 guidelines, in order to qualify for the prestigious award, each leader must have “created positive, direct and intended impact aligned with one or more SDGs in the last 12 months.”
They must also have “been the driving force behind the product, serve or project that combines purpose and profit.”
Each recipient contributes to global sustainability goals
Global goals
MB100 celebrates those who work towards the UN Global Goals. These are a series of 17 goals which seek to promote security and prosperity for communities and the planet. They were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, and since then have been slowly implemented on a global scale.
Each main goal includes several smaller targets that help the UN progress, as well as events which focus on fundraising and increasing awareness. The aim is to achieve all targets by 2030, however we are only 15 percent of the way there so far.
These goals include quality education, affordable and clean energy, climate action, and responsible consumption and production.
Prioritising packaging
Kate Bezar co-founded Better Packaging Co in 2018. The carbon neutral BCorp aims to actively reduce plastic waste in the world through a range of sustainable packaging. Initially, the company only produced courier packaging, but has since expanded to include labels, ziplock bags, garment bags and more in their range.
In order to remain carbon neutral, Better Packaging Co partners with New-Zealand based enterprise, Ekos, which supports businesses in measuring and limiting their carbon footprints. Their packaging is mostly designed for home composting, and they have recently introduced a line made using recycled plastic pollution rescued from coastal communities located in Southeast Asia.
And their impact doesn’t stop there. Since its founding, Better Packaging Co has removed pollution from the atmosphere equivalent to 2.5 million plastic bottles. They have also offset 1317 MT of carbon emissions.
According to Kate, “Better Packaging Co.’s mission is to use packaging to combat pollution, poverty and climate change. We are proud to be proof that profit and purpose can go hand in hand. I am thrilled to receive recognition as part of this year’s MB100 of our continued impact towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
Click here to read about Forkful, another business reducing waste in Australia.
Or, click here for more stories of inspirational Australian women.