Why the circular economy is important – all year round

Indigenous Business Month is an annual national celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses. Running throughout October, it’s a time to showcase Indigenous entrepreneurship and innovation, along with their contribution to Australia’s economy and communities.

This October marks Indigenous Business Month’s 12th year. And as with previous years, it will see a range of activities – from shared success stories to networking events to purchasing from Indigenous-owned companies.

It’s a great month of celebration – but what then? What happens in November through to September?

While Indigenous Business Month is officially celebrated for only one month a year, the University of Melbourne’s Indigenous Business Snapshot 3.0 (2024) says our Indigenous businesses contribute around $16 billion annually to the Australian economy, employ almost 117,000 people, and pay $4.2 billion in wages. Clearly, supporting Indigenous businesses is about more than a single month of deliberate procurement choices – it’s about creating jobs, strengthening communities, and driving long-term economic self-determination – all year round.

That’s why we support other Indigenous businesses in our supply chain on an ongoing basis. Every month of the year.

From office furnishings to work clothing, catering supplies to training, telecom providers to printing. Even our daily cuppas are from Indigenous companies. We value the quality and innovation of the products and services we get from Indigenous small- and medium-sized businesses – and several of them have won industry awards recognising their achievements and impact.

We are deeply grateful to those organisations that trust us with their cyber security business – year after year. They recognise that choosing Baidam means investing in Australia’s circular economy – and strengthening their own cyber security posture at the same time.

If you’re looking for new suppliers and want to contribute to Australia’s circular economy, then we’re happy to share our list of Indigenous suppliers. Supply Nation also offers Australia’s leading database of verified Indigenous businesses, so you can turn a one-off transaction into a commitment to the future.