Realising dreams with Re/act Impak
In Brunei over the past few years, it has been encouraging to see people beginning a journey into social entrepreneurship out of passion for great causes, Re/act Impak blew into the social entrepreneurship scene with the understanding that while support for local products was growing, it’s a mishmash of information and products scattered around social media posts, rendering the purpose behind each product insignificant. They understood that this was an issue that needed an innovative solution.
The initial idea for Re/act Impak was pitched in the Startup Weekend: Women’s Edition back in 2018, and since then the three women behind Re/act has remained consistent in connecting purpose-driven businesses and in building trusting partnerships. However they have also evolved as the team got to know more like-minded entrepreneurs who put purpose before profit.
Shirley Sikun, Chief Idea Ambassador behind Re/act, runs the show along with Buzz Ambassador Fatin Muzini and Chief Visionary Nazurah Salleh.
Shirley explained, “Our aim (for Re/act) is to have a platform that allows consumers to buy with a purpose. We want to be the gateway to sustainably made local products that represent the beauty of Borneo; but also educate and advocate for conscious living.”
“Brunei has so much culture and heritage to offer. We are seeing a growth in support of local products, and that’s heartening to see. However we do see that pulling together the array of products in a cohesive storyline makes the act of purchasing a lot more meaningful. It’s about purposeful consumerism, knowing who made your products and how you are supporting their livelihoods. Telling the story behind each of the product and wrapping them up into a connected narrative is what we focus on.”
Their website (https:// react-impak.com) is one such way, and is working toward becoming a conscious lifestyle platform that honours local culture and heritage. It began with the aim to inspire others into purposeful entrepreneurship by telling real life stories about local social enterprises, with the hope that more stories will be shared with representation across Borneo.
“We are a very small team that values trust and collaboration,” Shirley further explained. “Our social enterprises can rely on us to connect them with likeminded folks so that we can work together to scale up our positive impact.”
Another mission of theirs is to spread the word by hosting events, and their past two events (‘Conscious Marketplace’ in September 2019 and ‘Re/think’ food event earlier this year) was met with great feedback and success, with a percentage of profits from each event toward climate change projects. They hope to host another event before the end of the year with the hopes of raising climate awareness.
A recent idea that came into light was a gift hamper they offered on their website which made great Hari Raya gifts, an idea that came about as a response to the impact of COVID-19 on local businesses. The hamper came in the form of a handwoven basket which contained homegrown coffee from Labi, Blue Sambah tea from Tutong, Stingless bee honey, locally grown rice, a hand carved coconut bowl, homemade Rosella jam and a ketupat in the shape of a rooster – a piece of Dusun culture. It was a great way of introducing others to locally made products available in Brunei.
It’s a beautiful thing to know that there are three hard-working women in our nation who are thinking up and executing creative solutions to bring awareness to conscious business and ethical consumerism. It’s certainly hard work, and we think it’s high time that they get recognition of the role they play in advocating these positive social changes.
And since this is an issue about dreams and dreamscapes, what are the three women’s dreams for Re/act going forward?
“We would like Re/act to be known across Borneo as the go-to folks to have their products marketed. It would be wonderful if we could reach a scale that allows us to offer employment. We’re a three-woman team and we all have our day jobs and commitments – it would be great to have dedicated staff to help us further our goal.”
Find out how you can connect with Re/act by following them on Instagram (@react.impak).