Cotton On partners with Empty Esky to support bushfire-affected communities

Heather McIlvaine

11th Sep 2020

With international travel off the cards for the foreseeable future, many Australians will be taking road trips this spring and summer, and Cotton On wants them to consider stopping off at bushfire-affected communities along the way.

The local retail giant has launched a new page on its website full of tips on where to shop, eat and stay in South Australia, Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales to support small businesses affected by last summer’s devastating bushfires.

The page was created in partnership with Empty Esky, a not-for-profit that aims to make tourism a force for good.

Started by three friends in Melbourne in January, Empty Esky encourages Australians to visit bushfire-affected communities with ’empty eskies’ –and stock up on local food, beverages, gifts and other items to help stimulate the local economy.

“We saw an opportunity to help change the way people think about travelling. The idea that just two hours away, we’ve got incredible places to go,” Eleanor Baillieu, one of the co-founders of Empty Esky, said in a statement.

In its announcement about the platform, Cotton On said that it is passionate about giving back to the local communities that it operates in around the world.

The company raised more than $1.1 million in January for Australian bushfire relief, which included a $250,000 pledge from the Cotton On Group, as well as employee and customer donations. It also donated 100 per cent of the proceeds of a special t-shirt designed for the February benefit concert Fire Fight Australia to the cause.

Over the past 12 years, it has raised more than $100 million through its charitable arm, the Cotton On Foundation, to support schools and provide health care, clean water, meals and sanitary products to young people in developing countries.