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Ethnic Elephant was born in 2006 in the Capital of Wales - Cardiff. We aspire to sell fairly traded and eco-friendly products. These products are sourced from all over the world and our aim is to help developing countries by promoting the work of artisans and craftspeople. We want you to be as inspired as we are when you see the range of unique products and feel good about helping individuals and their communities.
The idea for Ethnic Elephant came from seeing so many beautiful and unusual items during our travels. We never seem to have enough room in our suitcases to bring gifts back to share with friends and family. From the goods that did fit in, we had lots of positive feedback and orders for future trips. These friends and family are now our strongest supporters and we say a big 'thank you' to them for their continued support.
We purchase our products from members of BAFTS (British Association of Fair Trade Shops) and IFAT (International Federation of Fair Trade). Some of their producers are family groups often in rural communities, they are very skilled at their craft but have not had an opportunity to sell outside of their locality. In addition we travel abroad and source interesting items from small-scale producers.
Our suppliers believe in a policy of fair trade. They pay a fair price for goods, ensuring the artisans and craftspeople receive a fair wage, auditing their working conditions to ensure they are safe and healthy. No child labour is used and there is equality in gender. It is important to us that the environment is not harmed so we ship by sea, not air and strive to ensure the materials and methods of production have as little effect as possible on the environment. Some of our products use recycled materials.
These suppliers share our ethics and support projects. To name a few, these include two schools set in a remote village in Rajasthan and an orphanage in Nepal providing amongst other things, a water tank, food and blankets. Our UK suppliers support the Esther Benjamins Trust which is the leading registered charity that works exclusively for deprived, disabled and stigmatised Nepalese children - www.ebtrust.org.uk They also support MAITI Nepal which protects Nepali girls and women from crimes like domestic violence, trafficking for flesh trade, child prostitution, child labour and various forms of exploitation and torture - www.maitinepal.org
In developing markets, such as Nepal, Indonesia and Thailand, many primary producers do not have the capital to be able to fulfil orders; so one supplier makes an advance payment for materials, workers and whatever else is necessary.
