Operating Within Fairtrade Principles

What is Fairtrade? Fair trade changes the way trade works through better prices, good working conditions, and a fairer deal for workers in developing countries. It is an intentional strategy that aims to promote sustainable development and to reduce poverty through fairer trade.

Fairtrade International and other similar organizations work with farmers, producers, workers, consumers, and others to develop, implement, and oversee a framework of standards, principles, practices, and goals that help to set the requirements for companies to operate in such a way that guarantees their workers certain benefits and working conditions and empowers their workers to combat poverty, strengthen their position, and to take more control of their lives.

Our goal is to not just have vintage saris remade into one-of-a-kind products; we want these one-of-a-kind women's thoughts, self-worth, and lives to be remade for the better as well.

From our very first kantha stitch in 2016 to current day, ReMade’s goals and vision have aligned with these principles, and we have strived to be a transformative force in the lives of marginalized people from underrepresented groups and lower socioeconomic backgrounds. We are passionate about empowering Indian women through sustainable, respectable work, fair income and benefits, and education and training. Our goal is to not just have vintage saris remade into one-of-a-kind products; we want these one-of-a-kind women's thoughts, self-worth, and lives to be remade for the better as well. Through our partnerships with local enterprises, ReMade offers these women from underprivileged backgrounds employment and empowerment through fairtrade practices and principles.

Sadly, this is not always the case for companies and workers in developing countries, such as India. Kantha artisans who work for employers that do not adhere to fairtrade principles often suffer the same exploitation as their brothers and sisters working in almost every handicraft sector in the region. In a study carried out for the Journal of Social Work and Social Development on kantha artisans, it was found that the majority of women were cheated on payments owed to them, suffered from irregular or late payments, and were socially immobile due to an absence of training and advance payments. It was found that the average annual income from kantha production was far below anything which could be considered a living or fair wage.

ReMade is working to combat this by offering our artisans fairtrade working conditions and pay, which is regular, on-time, well above the industry standard of a fair wage, and increases over time. Our artisans have access to advance pay, micro-loans, and additional training for vocational and educational opportunities.

With their income made from working for ReMade, several of our artisans have been able to pay off personal loans and bills, make payments on permanent housing, buy items which improve their family’s quality of life, purchase their family’s first vehicle, fund their other small business ventures, pay their children’s school fees, save money in the bank, and more.

We have seen our artisans’ lives improve. We value all of our 80+ employees and their well-being and, thus, committed to paying every employee even when they were not allowed to come to work throughout the various government lockdowns caused by Covid-19.

We also train and promote from within as several of our artisans now serve in more supervisory roles and quality control positions that come with increased responsibilities and income.

We do not tolerate discrimination or abuse of any kind, and we do not permit dangerous work, forced labor, or child labor.

ReMade artisans sew in a clean, safe, and hygienic environment, and they choose their own work hours during the time that the ReMade sewing center is open. We work hand-in-hand with our artisans in a collaborative effort to continually improve their working conditions and to meet their needs as they arise, which may vary from needing eyeglasses to working from home when necessary to providing leg massagers – and everything in between. Tea and snacks are provided during smaller breaks and each artisan gets an hour lunch break as well.

Many of our artisans’ children have attended the free English education classes we provide during the work day, and many of the artisans themselves have attended various classes and training also. We do not tolerate discrimination or abuse of any kind, and we do not permit dangerous work, forced labor, or child labor. We also strive to continue to reduce waste and reduce our environmental impact as we purchase used saris and upcycle and repurpose them into new products, use larger scrap pieces to make additional items, and even use our smaller scraps for rags, cords, and other items instead of discarding them.

ReMade’s tagline is “Transformation is our business.” Yes, our artisans transform previously-worn saris into beautiful handcrafted blankets and other items, but this isn’t the only transformation we are about.

We want to transform lives by implementing and operating within fairtrade principles so that we can effectively employ and empower more and more women from marginalized backgrounds with respectable and sustainable work and opportunities.

ReMade: Transformation is our business.