In this blog, we're putting the spotlight on our Wishing Flags. Following a cautious start with a small collection, the flags are now available in 11 themes and 4 languages, with over 170,000 flags produced. This has made an impact, touching the lives of both those who received a Wishing Flag in their mailbox and the people in Nepal who craft these beautiful flags.
Cooperative
The Wishing Flags are made in a Fair Trade cooperative of roughly 100 members, all of whom are company employees. Each year, they elect a management committee from within the group to actively support the company's policy, providing every employee with an opportunity to develop management skills. As we believe education is key to empowerment and considering the high school dropout rates among girls in Nepal, school is paid for all daughters of the employees.
Living wages
For every Wishing Flag produced, 19 minutes of fairly paid work is involved. Fairly paid is not the minimum wage but a living wage; a wage that makes it possible to build a future for you and your family. But we don't stop there! With each purchase, you contribute to a welfare fund that focus on empowerment, education, health support and environmental awareness.
Sustainable materials
We keep a close look at the environmental impact of our supply chain. The Wishing Flags are crafted from eco-friendly materials such as recycled Lokta paper and farm and cotton waste. So no trees are cut.
And we contribute to reforestation efforts in the Kathmandu Valley. So far, we've planted more than 50 trees to offset the carbon emissions involved in the production and transportation of the Wishing Flags.
Almost every drop of dye used to colour the Wishing Flags is utilised efficiently. The small amount of waste water generated is filtered, leaving behind only a minimal quantity of residue. To minimise the environmental impact, this residue is safely encapsulated in concrete bricks. The remarkable result? The production of 170,000 Wishing Flags has roduced just a single brick's worth of residue.
Let’s work together on a more sustainable and equitable way forward!
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