Partnering for Impact: How Enable Social Enterprises and Ambulance Victoria Are Creating a More Inclusive, Sustainable Future
- Julie McKay
- Nov 25
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 26
When community, innovation and sustainability come together, the impact can be transformative. A powerful example of this is highlighted in the Ambulance Victoria Annual Report 2024-25, showcasing a three-year partnership with Enable Social Enterprises - a collaboration that is delivering environmental benefits while creating meaningful employment opportunities for people facing barriers to work in Broadmeadows, Victoria.
From a Storage Challenge to a Socially Responsible Solution
A few years ago, Ambulance Victoria (AV) found themselves with a growing challenge: storage areas were overflowing with obsolete IT equipment, and upcoming projects would only add more surplus hardware. Instead of defaulting to landfill or storage expansion, AV’s Procurement, Sustainability and IT teams came together to explore a better way forward.
That inquiry led them to Enable IT Recycling.
Why Enable? A Social Enterprise Creating Real Change
Enable is a leading Australian, award-winning not-for-profit social enterprise developing pathways into employment for people who are often excluded from the workforce - including young people with disabilities, newly arrived migrants, and individuals living in areas of high unemployment. Enable’s model tackles disadvantage and the digital divide by linking community, environment and local economies, ensuring that social impact is embedded in every aspect of their work.
Through its circular economy operations, Enable provides Certified E-Waste Management services
Secure collections and Commercial grade Data Sanitisation
Disassembly and sorting of IT equipment and components
Fully traceable recycling and resource recovery
Testing, refurbishment and device re-use to assist distributing decommissioned tech to those most in need
Employment and training opportunities at full award wages for all abilities workforce
This combination of environmental and social impact makes Enable a standout partner for organisations seeking to embed sustainability and inclusion into their operations.
Impact at Scale: Circular Economy in Action
Since partnering with Enable, Ambulance Victoria has transformed what was once a storage and waste problem into an important social and environmental contribution.
In 2024–25 alone:
4,685 kilograms of obsolete IT equipment were diverted from landfill
173 hours of full award-wage employment were provided for Enable’s supported workforce
Valuable materials were recovered and re-purposed, strengthening local circular economy outcomes
This is impact that can be measured not just in kilos or hours - but in changed lives, new skills, and increased community resilience.
A Model for What’s Possible
The relationship between Enable Social Enterprises and Ambulance Victoria is a reminder that social procurement is more than a policy - it’s a powerful tool for change. With every piece of donated equipment and every hour of supported employment created, the partnership shows what is possible when organisations champion the circular economy and invest in inclusion.
As Ambulance Victoria’s Annual Report highlights, this is not just a good news story - it’s a scalable model for how social enterprises and government agencies can partner together to create a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable future for all.
