- Ensure that our products are sourced ethically following Fair Trade values
- Support economic development, especially of women, through sustainable livelihoods
- Promote logical eco-friendly alternatives for a sustainable lifestyle
A Fair Trade Social Enterprise
We are a certified Social Enterprise and a certified member of BAFTS – The British Association of Fair Trade Shops & Suppliers, which means:
- We have a clear social & environmental mission set out in our governing documents
- We reinvest a majority of our profits back into supporting these goals
- We are accountable & transparent
- We are committed to the ten principles of Fair Trade
- We are dedicated to promoting Fair Trade retail in the UK
Our aim is not just to sell. We want to be the catalysts for artisanal revival by facilitating sustainable livelihoods for our talented artisans. Rapid industrialisation and the spread of cheap plastics has hit them hard. As a result, many in the artisan community have given up their craft to work in factories. This obviously risks losing these wonderful skills for posterity.
Most of these artisans work with traditional techniques passed on from one generation to the next. We want to bring these earth friendly handicrafts to the mainstream so that they are no longer a novelty. This will, hopefully, provide the consumer with an easy choice of handmade over mass produced goods. We also hope that this will help consumers move away from plastics in their everyday life.
Our intention is also to be able to provide our artisan heroes with opportunities to travel and connect with a worldwide audience. They say new experiences broaden your horizons. That is exactly what we also intend to achieve too. This will help them to evolve their art and practices. This will go a long way in its preservation and propagation.
Ethiqana is founded on the principles of ethical sourcing, sustainability & fair trade.
Our mission is simple:
- Empower artisans through fair & ethical sourcing.
- Provide viable, affordable & sustainable choices to consumers.
- Rediscover sustainable materials & reduce the dependence on plastics.
Artisan heroes
We work with carefully selected small artisan producers. Economic and creative empowerment & eco-friendliness is at the heart of this selection process. Our focus is to be the facilitators of opportunities for them so that their skills can be preserved.
Distribution
We then bring these awesome products to the market via our online shopping channels i.e. this site and our eBay shop.
We pride ourselves in not just being a faceless online shop. We love to interact with people and make new friends. So, you can also find us participating regularly in select artisan markets and pop-up events all year round.
Impact
Our mission for a positive social change isn’t just limited to the artisans we work with. Shopping with us means your money goes a long way to bring hope to a lot more people.
We’ve been able to make a positive impact across the world, working through many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Hi! I’m Arshad and Ethiqana is my idea.
My story goes back to when I was 12 or 13 years old growing up in the old city of Delhi in India. I’d just learned about co-operatives and how the farmers of India had been helped by such organisations. I had also seen first-hand how small artisans and their handicrafts were dwindling. Wood and clay and other natural materials were making way for cheap plastics. The consumers seemed to prefer this “convenience”. So, at that time, I thought of setting up something similar for artisans once I grew up.
But then, as they say, life happens. I trained and entered the field of Information Technology working in a myriad of roles from trainer, programmer, manager to director. However, after spending over 20 successful years in the IT industry, I decided it was time to go back to my childhood dream. Something that I have always thought about. And so Ethiqana began taking shape way back in 2016.
My inclination was turned into resolve when I read about the plight of artisan toymakers of Channapatna in the south of India. Their livelihoods and age old craft are almost on the brink of extinction due to the flood of cheap plastic toys. So, I decided to start my journey there in 2017.
Ethiqana’s story has just begun. I certainly hope that I will be able to add a few more chapters to it over time. Of course, the ethos will always remain the same.
Read more about how you can help make a positive impact or have a look at our online shop and see what takes your fancy.