2023 was a year of great momentum, exploration and impact.
We forged new relationships, strengthened existing ones and experimented with making a greater, more tangible contribution to the circularity conversation. Applying our multidisciplinary expertise across a range of social and environmental issues, we focused on achieving positive, practical impact, above all.
After a big year, we thought it time to look back, so we can all look forward – together. Here are some of our highlights from 2023.
Circularity took centre stage, as we helped accelerate the sustainable climate transition
In 2023, we realised it was time to embody impact – in a large-scale, public way. This intention, paired with our aim to raise awareness of circularity’s role in addressing our climate challenges, gave birth to IM-PERMANENT.
IM-PERMANENT was a 9-day exhibition at the Abbotsford Convent, spotlighting more than 20 experiments in mycelium design, premiering at the 2023 Melbourne Design Week. It was also a collaboration with the wonderful team at RMIT Industrial Design.
The exhibition had strong attendance, media coverage and social media engagement, ultimately, encouraging people, businesses and government to engage with the topic of circularity. We’re so proud of the impact IM-PERMANENT achieved and are looking forward to our next big creative activation in 2024.
In the waste sector, we also developed Cleanaway’s 2023 Sustainability report. Building on the momentum of last year’s award-winning report, which placed second in the ASX100 Company for Sustainability Reporting Survey, we worked to create a digital-first report which brought Cleanaway’s sustainability impacts to life.
The result? An engaging report that supports readers to seamlessly engage, navigate and understand how Cleanaway is making sustainable waste management a reality.
We took home a DIA award (and received two other nominations)
For our work with Karrkad Kanjdji Trust (KKT), we received a DIA Award of Merit.
The Karrkad Kanjdji Trust (KKT) brings together Indigenous ranger groups, communities and philanthropists to address some of our nation’s most pressing issues. We worked closely with KKT this year to deliver the organisation a fresh brand and website, as well as documenting their progress through the 2022-2023 annual report.
This work also placed as a 2023 finalist in the ADGA Awards.
And in other award nomination news, IM-PERMANENT has also received recognition as a finalist in the Communication Design category for the 2023 Victorian Premier Design Awards! Watch this space.
Our focus on equitable health, ageing and participation remained razor sharp
To solve the significant issues in this domain, we produced different awareness raising and behaviour change campaigns – for organisations such as the Victoria Disability Worker Commission (VDWC) and The Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM).
For VDWC, we produced the 7th phase of its campaign to raise awareness of the changes to disability worker registration. With a heightened focus on driving disability workers to action, we reviewed our audiences and approaches with deeper consideration of repeated engagement with these audiences, across multiple touchpoints, to nudge them to act.
The campaign went live via owned VDWC channels and partner channels in August 2023!
In the sexual health field, we worked with ASHM to deliver multiple PR campaigns to raise awareness of its vital programs that support healthcare workers. We also delivered a national digital campaign, ‘HIV Treatment For All,’ which raised awareness of the changes to HIV treatment access for people who are ineligible for Medicare.
We settled into our (new) office and took time outside of it to connect with each other
After our departure from our office on Glasshouse Road in late 2022, we took this year to nest.
The plants came. And so did our keep cups, art and coffee machine. Yet we brought fresh energy into the new bright space with an artwork from Amber Wallis – selected by our team and loaned from the incredible Artbank.
To make way for outdoor summer lunches, we spruced up the courtyard garden. And outside the office? We sought connection with each other, too – downward dogging at Good Vibes Yoga, indulging in tantalising Persian flavours at a cooking class by social enterprise, Free to Feed, and picnicking in Carlton Gardens to celebrate spring. Just to name a few.
Now, after all that was 2023, we’re excited to unwind and connect with our loved ones over summer. So, we can return in 2024 with even more motivation to move people and change the world, for good.
See you then!
