My Account
Women Win | Empowering Women in Our Supply Chain
Heidi, Seasalt’s Ethics & Compliance Manager, shares an update from our pilot programme in India.
In 2024, we partnered with Women Win and Maitrayana on a pilot project aimed at improving and protecting women’s rights in the global supply chain.
Brij Designs and Paramount Products are two of our suppliers near New Delhi in India. We chose to work with them because of their commitment to ethical practice and their proactive approach to supporting women workers.
This project was designed to give a platform for the women who make our clothes, allowing us to hear their concerns and ambitions directly and work with suppliers to react.
THE PROJECT
Women Win is a global fund which invests and collaborates in projects that support women’s rights. Maitrayana is an NGO based in India who believe in creating a gender equal society through female empowerment initiatives.
Maitrayana uses a unique play-based method called 'Drawing the Line,' where workshop attendees are given a set of cards illustrating common workplace issues. Each card represents a different topic such as wage fairness, health and safety, or career advancement.
These cards act as prompts which can be ordered from most to least important, giving a framework for deeper conversations about the challenges women face in their workplaces.
It puts their voices at the centre of the conversation. They are able to anonymously share their lived experience and make suggestions on what changes they would make to improve their workplace.
THE RESULTS
It was so important and positive for us to hear, from the off, that women feel safe and fairly paid in their place of work – and that they feel they can speak to somebody at the factory if they have concerns or worries. They can approach management, human resources or the welfare officer.
TRAINING
We’ll be working closely with both factories to ensure the women are offered skill-based learning to promote growth and opportunities to increase their income.
HEALTH & FAMILY
We spoke to both factories, and both will have a constant supply of free sanitary products for women to use. We’ll also be supporting sessions for employees on the Employee State Insurance Scheme, including information about healthcare benefits and financial help during times of illness.
And finally, drinking tea is a daily ritual for most people in India. The social ritual fosters a sense of community and connection and is of great importance to the women. Both factories will ensure tea is available at all breaktimes.
What's next?
As we prepare for a second phase of the project later this year, we are still committed to listening to feedback and working with our suppliers to make meaningful changes. The women who took part in the sessions in 2024 openly shared their thoughts and wishes with us and placed their trust in us to deliver positive change for them.
A return visit is an opportunity to hear how changes have affected them, and to discuss any other challenges. We are excited to get started, and to share the results soon.
