Digital Product Passport - Swallows, Bangladesh
Indilisi works with Thanapara Swallows Development Society in rural Bangladesh. It
is a Fair Trade organisation.
Affectionately called ‘Swallows’ here on our website and in Indilisi communications.
Safia Minney, Indilisi’s founder, has been working with Swallows for over 30 years.
- Swallow uses 100% GOTS certified organic cotton for all Indilisi products.
- The yarn is dyed with GOTS certified dyes at Swallows.
- The yarn in then spun and handwoven for all Indilisi collection fabrics at Swallows - except for the Grey ikat fabric, which is woven by a specialist weaver, Kayem Weaving, in Narsingdi.
- All hand embroidery is produced on-site at Swallows, where the final garment is tailored, finished and packaged in paper bags and dispatched by air freight.
- The ordered quantities are too small to send by sea freight.
Why we work with Swallows
‘Thanapara’ means village in Bengali. After the village experienced the massacre of
men by the Pakistan army, the widowed women were supported through relief and
gradually rebuilt their lives. Relief, support and making things using traditional craft
skills played a key part in this. The village was supported by Swedish development
funding, which provided schools, microcredit, and a handicraft centre and creche
through support from buyers like People Tree. It has been working with Safia for over
three decades. They worked closely together to pilot and achieve the World Fair
Trade Organisation Guarantee mark.
Today, Swallows works with 200 marginalised women, providing training and
employment.
Swallow’s mission is to empower women by eradicating illiteracy, promoting health,
rights awareness, and building support for women who face domestic violence –
offering support and a women-friendly workplace.
Link to Organic Cotton Certification here