| Putting Artisans First |
| Fair trade provides under- and unemployed artisans with an opportunity to earn vital income and improve their quality of life by establishing a sustainable market for their handcrafted products. |
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| Cash Advances |
Bamboo House India pays artisans in full for each order. We provide artisan partners with the opportunity to receive 100 % of an order's price when the order is placed, which functions as an interest-free cash advance. This capital allows artisan groups to purchase equipment and raw materials without going into debt by taking out loans with high interest rates.
Once the products are made, Bamboo House India is responsible for marketing them. Artisans' wages are not affected by product markdowns or discounts because they have already received payment before the products arrive in our warehouse. |
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| A Fair Price |
| A fair price ensures that artisans are adequately compensated for the time, labor and material resources invested in making each product. Pricing varies according to the economic and social context in which an artisan works. A fair price is determined by the artisan in conversation with Bamboo House India and is based on the cost of materials, and a fair wage for the production time and skill level required making each product. Fair wages enable artisans to meet their needs for food, clothing, and shelter. |
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| Long-Term Relationships |
Fair trade is not just about prices—it is founded on a commitment to long-term relationships that provide mutual benefits for our business and those of our artisan partners.
When Bamboo House India starts trading with an artisan group, we stay committed to working with the group in the long-term and to building its capacity to become successful with both commercial and fair trade buyers. We are committed to sustaining consistent purchases each year, and we try not to decrease purchases from an artisan group from year to year.
Artisan groups often remark that our commitment to long-term purchases is more important than the fair prices we pay. Long-term relationships give them a sustainable source of income that enables them to plan for the future—investing in technology and skills training in order to reach their full business potential |
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| Design Collaboration |
| Bamboo House India offers artisan partners a spectrum of design assistance that varies with the unique challenges of each group. Our design partners help artisans adapt traditional artistic skills to create a product that appeals to the market. Our buyers make regular visits to artisan partners, where they collaborate to produce best-selling products and enable our partners to develop their businesses and design skills |
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| Environmental Responsibility |
| At Bamboo House India, our goal is sustainability—not just for our artisan partners, but also for the environment. Our new store concept takes a conscious approach toward minimizing environmental impact in order to meet the "triple bottom line" of economic, environmental and social sustainability. |
