Most ethical shoppers these days like to know something about how their clothing is made, where it’s made, and what processes were used. Obus, a Melbourne clothing and accessories store, is completely upfront about all of this, with rigorous quality checks in place from design choices to the factory floor. But Obus’s social conscience extends far beyond the production line.

Obus has partnered with or contributed to numerous social and environmental causes, including the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Breast Cancer Australia, Brotherhood of St Laurence, We Care Nauru and the Unicorn Foundation, just to mention a few. In 2020 Obus has extended its social impact activities and partnered with Fifteen Trees to plant 200 trees.

Fifteen Trees organised the trees to be planted at Sutherland, VIC, just north of St Arnaud with the Buloke and Nth Grampians Landcare Network. Hayley and Luke Batters are keen to develop some of their land for biodiversity and soil improvement. And so turning hillside scour into a series of frog ponds, with assistance from family, friends and Landcare, 200 native species seedlings were planted.  Primarily Box, Gum, Buloke and Wattles, the trees will assist with storing carbon in the soil, prevent erosion, assist with water retention within the soil and help native species through biodiversity linkages.

We don’t often think of it this way, but clothing is essentially a plant-based industry. The raw materials used to craft our favourite pants grew from the earth. It makes a lot of sense to us when a retail clothing business gives back a bit of what it takes out. Obus is exactly the sort of business we’re proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with on climate marches; run by just the sort of generous, sustainable thinkers we love to plant trees for.

If you are also interested in how your business and Fifteen Trees could work together, contact Melinda at <[email protected]> and ask for a no obligation proposal.

Writer – Sarah Hart.

Sarah is an artist whose passions include the stories and experiences of women and narrative driven creative work. Her aim is to delight, to reveal glimpses of everyday beauty, and to celebrate flights of the ordinary. Sarah works across a range of media, with an abiding interest in pen and ink, mixed media and the human form. You can find Sarah here.

Sutherland = 900 trees / OBUS – 200