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You celebrated a decade of partnership with IKEA last year. I understand it was this alliance with the brand that motivated the establishment of the centers. Could you elaborate on that?

A decade of collaboration with IKEA marks a significant step on rangSutra’s path towards societal and economic advancement. It has propelled our growth and stimulated the creation of village centers, which over time became learning and developmental hubs for many women who lacked access to education.

Just like with our partnership with C&A (an international clothing retail chain – ed. note), understanding the nuances of the global market is crucial for us, and conversely, our capacity to mass-produce handcrafted items is key for them.

For concrete examples, one can observe IKEA’s recent MÄVINN collection, which underscores the value of artisanal craft. Here, one can discover vibrant cushion covers and carpets that embody the spirit of our artisans and serve as tangible proof of the expertise and artisanship of 100 weavers and 100 embroiderers at rangSutra.

Surprisingly, in addition to everything else, your project is also about eco-friendliness and caring for the environment. Please share insights into this aspect of your enterprise’s impact.

Annually, we create approximately 900,000 items, which includes women’s and men’s apparel, napkins, tablecloths, and pillowcases embellished with traditional motifs and embroidery. Thanks to our artisanal production approach, our products generate roughly 21 % less environmental pollution compared to industrially produced cotton textiles.

We significantly surpass our counterparts in the textile sector in minimizing our environmental footprint. For instance, we utilize solar panels and environmentally sustainable BCI cotton (Better Cotton Initiative – a global non-governmental organization leading the largest cotton quality assurance program worldwide. Among the participants of this initiative is IKEA – ed. note), which produces 40.8 % less intense emissions per ton of seeds compared to conventional cotton.