Our Social Responsibility
Social Responsibility
Fair Payment
The cooperation with reputable fair-trade shops enables Shimena to pay reasonable wages to its artisans and workers, much higher than the national average.
Education
Shimena gives all artisans the opportunity to join regular education institutions and learn basics, like the alphabet. Firew Konjo focuses especially on training the local youth how to weave, spin and sew to earn income by working within the production chain. Offering them a professional perspective keeps them away from desperate decisions, like criminal activities.
Empowerment of women
Giving women work, means giving them independence.
The enterprise has not only created job opportunities for women in spinning cotton and finishing textiles, contrary to traditional rules, Shimena also recruits women in weaving. Furthermore, Shimena encourages women entrepreneurship through training programs and helps them to send their children to school.
Recruitment
The company employs, for example, prisoners in rehabilitation status and older women who are still motivated and inquisitive. Otherwise, those people would try to work in daywork jobs or have to rely on the support of their families.
Environmental Responsibility
Materials
All used materials come from sources within 30 km distance. The raw cotton, for example, is grown in the lowlands which is 10 km far from Shimenas workshops and the silk production is built in one of our own backyards. Our dye is either natural from local plants or non-harmful dye, purchased from a Swiss company. In addition to their ecological qualities, our dyes are also very compatible for sensitive skin.
Recycling
In terms of minimization of waste, the cotton farmers, weavers, dyers and spinners recycle as much remainder as possible. Especially water efficiency is very important. The farmers replace faucet water with other efforts to reduce water use and the dyers developed a natural filter system out of sand and stones to make the water usable for gardening and small-scale farming afterwards.