Sanofi staff roll up sleeves, joining Australia’s $566 billion ‘do-good’ economy

Nearly two-thirds of Australians aged 15 and over, around 14.1 million people, volunteer in some form. The contribution is not only social and cultural; it is also economically significant. For every $1 invested in volunteering, there is an estimated $5 return in community value.

Of this group, 32% volunteer in formal settings with organisations such as not-for-profits, government agencies and private organisations. In these structured environments, volunteers contribute an average of 16.7 hours per month.

This context underpins Sanofi Australia’s recently completed annual We Volunteer initiative. Across the month of October, employees from the company dedicated hundreds of volunteer hours to five community and environmental organisations: Foodbank, FareShare, OzHarvest, Clean Up Australia and Vinnies.

Activities ranged from sorting and distributing food and preparing meals for communities facing food insecurity, to supporting Vinnies’ end-of-year outreach program and cleaning along the Parramatta River. The initiative was coordinated to ensure support reached areas of need, from local environmental preservation to food relief.

Luke Cornish, Head of Corporate Affairs, Sanofi Australia & New Zealand, said “As a healthcare company we know our responsibility extends beyond delivering innovative medicines, to being an active corporate citizen in the communities we serve. Our team’s action and over 400 hours of volunteering achieved during October demonstrates their belief in that responsibility.

“I’m proud of Team Sanofi for prioritising these special volunteering opportunities while maintaining their unwavering commitment to ensuring Australians can access our medicines and vaccines. We’re improving people’s lives every day.”

Evidence continues to show that the benefits of volunteering extend to workplaces. Among volunteers, 57.1% believe volunteering makes them more productive at work, compared with 34% of non-volunteers. This suggests a meaningful correlation between volunteering and improved professional performance. The estimated productivity uplift linked to volunteering is valued at $92.7 billion.

Overall, the combined social and economic value of formal and informal volunteering – the largest labour force in the country – is estimated at more than $566 billion, highlighting volunteering as a critical contributor to national wellbeing, organisational health, and community resilience.

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