Sustainability

The team at The Big Design Market believes that good design needn’t come at the cost of the earth, which is why we're committed to introducing hundreds of ethical design businesses to our eco-conscious shoppers each year. It is this core value that has also lead us to adopt as many sustainable practices as possible for our events, and will have us continuing to look for new ways to make The Big Design Market even greener.

Landcare x The Big Design Market

$15,000 DONATION TO LANDCARE PROJECTS

In 2019 The Big Design Market donated $15,000 to Landcare Australia in support of their work to protect and restore our land and waterways. Landcare Australia is built upon a community-based system whereby people come together to tackle local issues that they believe needs attention, whether it be erosion of sand dunes due to mismanaged beach access or weeds affecting agricultural productivity. This shared value of commitment to caring for the land and an appreciation for our environment is what drives Landcare Australia and has allowed them to continue their important work for 30 years.

To find out more about Landcare Australia's current projects visit landcareaustralia.org.au

Returnr X St. ALi 

ZERO-WASTE COFFEE INITIATIVE

ReturnrSt. Ali and The Big Design Market collaborated to deliver zero-waste takeaway coffee to visitors at The Big Design Market Sydney 2019. It is estimated that over 5,000 disposable coffee cups were diverted from landfill by the initiative.


So how does it work? Returnr’s coffee cup is free to use. Customers are required to pay a $6 deposit, redeemable once the cup is returned at The Big Design Market, or when the cup is returned (outside The Big Design Market) to a Returnr partner café in Sydney – Returnr is rolling out nationally and currently has four Sydney CBD café locations accepting Returnr coffee cups. To find out more, visit returnr.org

We're encouraging visitors to bring their own reusable coffee cups to The Big Design Market, or partake in the Returnr coffee cup system. Returnr & St. Ali will be selling reusable coffee cup lids during The Big Design Market for $5.85 and encouraging users to enjoy their coffee at the market without a lid.

Sustainable events 

OUR INITIATIVES

We’re proud to be expanding our commitment to sustainability by supporting organisations such as Landcare Australia and partnering with like-minded businesses to reduce our footprint. Here are some more examples of how we support this commitment:

  • All of our Exhibitors are selected based on the quality and longevity of their products as well as their ethical and sustainable business practices.
  • We partnered with ST. ALi Coffee in Melbourne 2019 to reward visitors with 50c off every coffee purchased from ST. ALi in their own reusable cup at the event.
  • We supply environmentally friendly soap made locally for visitors to use in the venue toilets. Large refill containers are used to top up pump bottles instead of discarding them as they run out.
  • All materials from our event infrastructure are recycled and re-used or repurposed wherever possible.