About Us
Sankh Care Craft is a manufacturer exporter of Fair trade clothing, jewellery, furnishings, gifts and kids stuff from India since 1998. We sell our products under brand SANKH- A
Hand crafted, many items also recycled. Wholesale and retail from sankh.com
Sankh was inspired by a journey through Desert of Rajasthan, India in 1998 on reconditioned ex-Indian Army Jeep in search of some adventure, founder Manoj, his wife Surekha
and her friend drive off to Jaipur to join him in desert of Rajasthan.. After an inspirational trek to Jaisalmer & Aravalli mountain base camp in the wake of the worst storms for a generation, they travelled overland to India for a quick visit that turned into a six month adventure. Sleeping under the stars most nights by the side of the road they quickly developed
a passion for this most amazing sub-continent and especially the warm, friendly and hospitable people they met. One day in Rajasthan, they got into conversation with the owner of a small textile business who suggested they went back home to Delhi and started a business. Today Shyam is a lifelong friend and is still one of Sankh's key member.
At the core of Sankh are our suppliers with whom we work very closely. Our criteria for passing them as fair trade producers and hence suitable business partners are based on international fair trade guidelines.
Our philosophy is simple; fantastic, ethically sourced and yet commercial products to maximise sales and therefore maximise benefits to both our suppliers and customers.
All Sankh products are traded fairly
Sankh is still a relatively small business with a strong ethical policy at its core. We are not perfect but we believe our policies are consistent and transparent. We aim to buy from small scale producers who use largely natural materials and traditional techniques to produce beautiful and interesting articles. All Sankh products are fairly traded. We believe that
the best way to reduce poverty is through trade.
Sankh seeks to support marginalised small producers and we aim to help workers to move from income insecurity to economic self-sufficiency. The manufacture of goods for Sankh generates income for the local community and we hope that these benefits should enrich the quality of life of the local community.
In developing handicraft and handmade regions, such as Jaipur, Barmer, Jodhpur, Mooradabad, Saharanpur, Amroha, Indore, Delhi and Kolkata, we deal with only primary producers. Many do not have the capital to be able to fulfil the order, so we make an advance payment for materials, workers and whatever else is necessary.
Sankh also buys from some larger enterprises. From the point of view of the workers there can actually be advantages in working for a larger organisation such as greater job security and extra benefits. These might include free healthcare for the worker and their family and free or subsidised education. Many larger suppliers are also able to support
community projects. One of our suppliers provides the financial backing for an impressive and well- resourced school in Rajasthan. Another in Mooradabad supports an orphanage providing, amongst other things, a water tank, food and blankets. He also gives his workers grants for festivals, clothes to wear for work, some sick pay and holiday pay. As most of our suppliers are small scale businesses with limited resources, we usually make advance payments for raw materials, workers and whatever else is necessary. We often provide additional funds or make payments earlier when suppliers need * for particular reasons. This has included funding for capital purchases such as land, workshops and machinery.
We invest heavily in travelling to see our suppliers several times a year and speak to them regularly. In addition each supplier is asked to fill out a comprehensive questionnaire.
