When Civic first partnered with Bao&Co in June 2019 to support the Victorian Baby Bundle, it was the start of something much larger than initially realised. It was the beginning of a community-driven initiative that has since transformed the lives of individuals with disability through the dignity of consistent, meaningful work.

Over the past six and a half years, this collaboration has evolved into a powerhouse of inclusive employment. A team of six employees work to pack and distribute the Victorian Baby Bundles, and have dedicated over 16,000 hours to ensuring new parents receive their essential supplies. In 2022, we extended our partnership with Bao&Co, employing another team of individuals to pack the Bao&Co Bag line. In four years, the team has delivered nearly 40,000 hours – an incredible feat of productivity that sees Civic distributing approximately 2,500 bags every single week.

“I really enjoy putting the stock out every morning for the Bao Bags and working with the team to get the job done,” says one employee. “It feels really good knowing that the bags we pack are going to help new mums and dads all over Victoria.”

The true scale of this impact is best seen in the sheer volume of opportunity created. To date, this partnership has generated a staggering 55,728 hours of employment for individuals with disability, many of whom face multiple barriers to sustainable work. In practical terms, the work generated by Bao&Co’s partnership with Civic currently sustains the equivalent of more than seven full-time roles every single year.

“While Civic’s operational excellence is what drives our supply chain, the fact that this partnership also creates significant inclusive employment is a point of immense pride,” says Murray Hawkins, General Manager of Bao&Co. “It proves that you don’t have to choose between high-quality output and social responsibility; with the right partner, they go hand in hand”.

However, the impact goes far beyond the numbers. Over the course of the project, employees have become significantly more confident in their abilities, mastering fine-motor skills, sequencing and attention to detail.

“We’ve seen employees who started out unsure of themselves grow into people who take ownership of their workstations, coach others or hit production targets they never imagined possible,” says Peter Moore, General Manager of Civic Industries. “Those individual stories are where the true impact of this partnership shows – not just in the number of hours worked, but in the confidence, capability and pride that have grown alongside it.”

Each bag that leaves Civic and arrives in the hands of a new family is testament to the skill and dedication of our team and the support of socially responsible partnerships. What began as a project to support new families has become a vital engine for social inclusion, proving that when businesses choose to partner with purpose, the results are measured not just in shipments, but in thousands of hours of active participation and community belonging.