We Are FairTrade & Proud!

Trust

Our Principles

• 1

  Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers In 2019 we at felt so good are opening an additional small cottage industry in a beautiful area at the foothills of the Himalayas. This will create secure jobs and training in an area where employment is sparse. We have also expanded our current site supplying employment and training to an additional 30 local ladies.

• 2

  Transparency & Accountability Transparency is key to our relationships with all of our production & management teams as well as our international commercial & retail outlet channels. We are audited regularly to achieve an impressively high standard of working conditions and employment benefits. We are so proud to be a member of The World Fair Trade Organisation, Sedex and The British Association of Fair Trade Shops & Suppliers.

• 3

  Fair Trading Practices Felt so good and our producers have a marvellous long-term relationship based on trust, loyalty and mutual respect. We have all grown together over the past 10 years and have had a lot of fun along the way.

• 4

  Payment of a Fair Price Our producers are paid well above the national average wage of Nepal and above the standard for fair trade wages. Wages are equal for men and women throughout the workplace, we pride ourselves on not discriminating based on gender. Prices for our designs are worked out using the weight of the materials as well as the time and skill level involved in each piece. These prices are then mutually agreed and reassessed on an annual basis to maintain a fair and responsible pricing structure.

• 5

  Ensuring no child labour & forced labour Prior to employment we require the candidates Identity card to ensure they are above the age of 18. We keep a record of each employee’s hours, including the hours of homeworkers. These are shown to auditors and we ensure that each member of staff works no more than 45 hours per week. The staff are audited periodically, and this enables them to discuss in confidence any issues or questions regarding their wages, hours, health and safety & wellbeing within the workplace. This ensures all aspects of their employment and the facilities are not only meeting but exceeding the Fair Trade requirements.

• 6

  Commitment to Non-discrimination, gender equity and freedom of association. We strongly promote gender equality & ensure we operate an equal pay for equal work policy. We will never discriminate against colour, gender, disability, pregnancy or political views & every member of staff receives full statutory benefits. We will always take into account and actively endorse special health and safety requirements and provide full resources for each individual staff member based on their specific requirements.

• 7

  Ensuring good working conditions Our products are made in a cottage industry in the beautiful Himalayas. The environment is light and clean and there is no machinery used within the manufacturing of these products. We have small teams of needle felters, wet felters and embroiderers, all specialists within their trade. We ensure our staff are happy in their environment and each group has a supervisor that quality checks each item and helps with ongoing training requirements.

• 8

  Providing Capacity building Producing our handmade creations is a skill. We therefore provide training to all our new and current employees in specific areas of expertise to help the producers improve their capabilities which in turn increases the positive development of their careers. Every member has a chance to grow within the organisation and can then in turn help and support other members within their group.

• 9

  Respect for the environment This was one of the main reasons Felt so good was born. We are passionate about our social and corporate environmental impact and are happy to share why and how our environmental footprint is minimal. - We don’t use machinery for the manufacture of our wonderful creations, these are all made by hand. - Our staff are employed from the immediate area; therefore, no transport is used. - The dying process involves taking the carded bundles of fluffy wool fibres and putting them in specialist containers that allow steam and the colour pigment to work together to dye the natural wool any colour possible, be it pastel shade or rich and intense. The steam used in the process is produced from burning rice husk and the water used is purified onsite in an ecologically mindful manner. - The dyes used are all ‘azo free’ and the factory is completely pollution free which is, of course, very rare. After the husks are burnt, they are even used to fertilise the local farm lands. - The felt is then dried using only natural light and, once again, no machinery is required in the process.

• 10

  Promoting Fair Trade We work hard to raise positive awareness for the need and benefits of Fair Trade within the world. We also actively promote how we as a company strive to embed these principles in everything that we do. Our customers are kept informed of our activity and key developments via promotional text on our labels, company information on our website, key news and stories in our newsletters as well as up to date information at the many events we attend.