Supporting Indigenous suppliers and worker safety

Blackwoods is actively working to partner with a range of Indigenous suppliers, including those providing essential worksite safety gear and help drive sustainable growth for these businesses. This makes it easy to choose products that meet Blackwoods’ stringent quality standards and support your company’s Indigenous procurement targets.

Where quality and culture meet.

When you choose a Blackwoods Indigenous supplier, you know it’s at least 50% Indigenous owned and controlled, with benefits returning to Indigenous communities. It all stems from Wesfarmers’ commitment to reconciliation, including the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which provides targeted support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander procurement.

Blackwoods is also a founding member of Supply Nation. Supply Nation is a database of verified Indigenous businesses that Blackwoods uses to source goods and services. In the last 5 years, Blackwoods has spent more than $23 million with Indigenous owned suppliers and contractors and remains committed to strengthening these partnerships.

Indigenous suppliers in the spotlight.

Two key Indigenous partners for Blackwoods in the safety space are Keipa Hydr8 and Luke Penrith Arts & Designs.

Founded by proud Noongar man Gino Matera, Keipa Hydr8 works to prevent or reduce the severity of heat stress, helping workers to stay safe, focused and productive. Keipa Hydr8’s range of electrolyte sachets and icy poles is designed to hydrate workers in some of the country’s harshest conditions, using native Australian flavours like Kakadu plum, lemon myrtle, desert lime, bush berries and wild orange and mango.

The company’s mission is to connect their cultural heritage with a vision for the future, ensuring a safe working environment by preventing heat stress and maintaining worker health.

Luke Penrith Arts & Designs

Luke Penrith is the founder of Luke Penrith Arts & Designs, a NSW business supplying customised workwear. His ancestry is connected through Wiradjuri, Wotjobaluk, Yuin and Gumbaynggirr Nations.  His mission is to protect workers while promoting collaboration, dialogue and understanding to break down unconscious bias, and encourage relationship building between diverse team members, and across cultures.

The Luke Penrith range includes quality hi-vis shirts, vests, caps and workwear to help protect workers on rough, rugged and remote work sites. Through embellishment on Yarning Circles apparel, Luke creates original custom workwear with targeted messaging to boost team cross-cultural respect and collaboration.

Why choose a Blackwoods Indigenous business safety supplier partner?

When you buy from an Indigenous business, you also support their supply chain and communities. In addition to meeting applicable organisational Indigenous procurement targets and reconciliation initiatives, other benefits may include:

• Competitive price, quality and product range.
• Diversity and cross-cultural relationships.

Why it matters?

Nicole Crnko, Indigenous Affairs Lead for Wesfarmers Industrial and Safety, puts it simply:

“We’re excited to introduce customers to quality safety products showcasing native Australian botanicals, art and culture. Blackwoods is proud of being proactive and bold in promoting Indigenous business, and boosting their economic empowerment.”

Available at Blackwoods - Your safety equipment partner.

Blackwoods is proud to offer Indigenous safety suppliers as part of our commitment to keeping Australian workers safe. As the country’s largest provider of industrial and safety equipment, we’ve got everything you need to protect your team. Talk to your local Blackwoods Technical Safety Specialist to learn more about Indigenous safety suppliers on site, or contact your local technical safety specialist for more information on the options. Protect your people with smarter PPE, because safety should never be left to chance.

Keipa Hydr8 Electrolyte Ice-poles - Mixed Pack of 15

Keipa Hydr8 Electrolyte 5gm Sachets - Mixed Pack of 25

Keipa Hydr8 Electrolyte 5gm Sachets - Mixed Pack of 50

Luke Penrith Cap Indigenous Bloodlines Baseball Cap

Luke Penrith NSW Rail Vest - Indigenous - Bio X Back Tape

Luke Penrith Yarning Circles Bio Hoop Tape Shirt - Mesh Venting

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