Khitish pandya founded Ecotasar in 2007 to provide sustainable wage opportunities to artisans and small producers involved in textile production. “The aim was to make and market zero carbon footprint products using natural fibres and handlooms,” says the MBA from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar.
Ecotasar currently employs around 2,000 persons, mostly villagers who otherwise migrate to cities for jobs. For Pandya, the idea for Ecotasar originated from his stint at NGO PRADAN in the early 2000s. “I was influenced by their development philosophy. Ecotasar is a profit making entity, but we have modelled our work to create social impact by structuring our business model in a pro-poor mode.
A livelihood project becomes sustainable when it makes enough money, independent of grants. Otherwise, the intervention lasts till the funding. And the losers are the poor who are the workers/producers in the project,” he says. Pandya has also set up EcoSareeClub, an exclusive sari store of natural silk, linen and cotton, woven and crafted by skilled weavers and master craftsmen.
Excerpts from an interview:
How did Ecotasar come into being?
When I started working on the Tasar Project at PRADAN, I visited villages and interacted with communities engaged in the project. PRADAN systemically worked to create enabling processes, infrastructure and institutions, to make them competitive in mainstream markets so that they participate as equals and benefit from it. I was influenced by PRADAN Founder Deep Joshi, and felt I can also create an inclusive, profitable business.
How much effort goes into marketing a zero carbon footprint product?
Quite a lot as the product is expensive and often made using processes which are very low in productivity. A polyester based fabric woven on power loom/high speed loom is 40 per cent the cost of a fabric made using a natural sustainable fibre, on handlooms.
How do you counter competition?
We counter high production costs by providing well-designed products in quick succession. We try to design and colour products as per customers’ ( shops, boutiques, and brands) needs, and customise contract manufacturing as per client’s designs. Upon realising that we could not compete with small traders, we got into off-the-loom designed products like saris, shawls, dupattas, stoles, and value-added items, where design, not price, plays a bigger role. We were fortunate to have loyal customers some of who even ordered from us during the pandemic. Our business is down by 30 per cent, but we have enough inflows to carry all our staff along without handing a pink slip.
Why did you set up the EcoSareeClub?
I realised the common concern among Tassar silk lovers was not price but the surety that the product was not synthetic or of Chinese origin. I felt it would be a win-win situation to create a one-to-one relationship where customers get pure Indian Tassar, Ecotasar have loyal patrons and steady business and women yarn-makers regular income. The need to migrate to cities ends here, which also ensures continuity of their children’s education. In the lockdown, we began engaging with customers through social media, and hope they will buy saris from us online.