Handmade
Our artisans engage in a variety of crafts to make products entirely by hand or with minimal use of tools. Traditional techniques, some dating back to hundreds of years, are used in the creation of some of our products. Artisans with special knowledge use their artistry, training, and experience to create handcrafted items. Handmade goods are environmentally friendly, unlike mass produced goods that depend on large volumes of energy and cause high levels of pollution. As no two pieces are alike, they are unique and are true pieces of art. Purchasing handmade means supporting artisans and their crafts and skills from dying out and supporting small business enterprises such as ours. Many of the crafts are passed down through generations. Handmade gifts are original and exclusive! Our entire range of exclusively designed products is handcrafted.

Fair Trade
Sustainable Threads is a proud member of the Fair Trade Federation, U.S.A. This is a community of businesses dedicated to 360° fair trade. 360° means we work in partnership with small farmers and artisans in partnerships built on trust. It involves fair wages, safe working conditions, environmental responsibility, and more. It means our partners are empowered to build strong businesses for their families in today and for future generations. Fair trade principles facilitate partnerships with artisans who in their geographic, social and/or physical circumstances have poor access to markets. As a movement, it brings the people behind our products to center-stage. All products designed and sold by Sustainable Threads are fairly traded.

Natural Fibers
We at Sustainable Threads work almost exclusively with natural fibers – made from animal or plants. These fibers are found naturally and aren’t synthetically manufactured. More importantly, given that the animals and plants have co-habited with humans, they have an intricate relationship with the communities and cultures they live side by side with; a fertile ground for interesting product stories.

• Cruelty-free silk, the most humane silk production process, and dyes, derived from locally available herbs, mineral and trees;
• Banana fiber created from banana stems, after harvesting the fruit;
• Coconut tree stems, sliced and then handwoven.
• We also work with natural linen and organic cotton where possible, or we opt for the next best option of ‘Kora,’ unbleached and unprocessed cotton. Natural fibers, being more labor intensive are more expensive than synthetic fibers, but staying natural is an important part of Sustainable Threads’ efforts.

  Sustainable Practices
Our products are made by hand, mostly at home and in small workshops and cottage industries, using tools and techniques that use little to no electricity. These are sustainable practices in terms of the physical environment as well as affecting social networks in a positive way. The work provides a platform for people coming together as a community, and on many occasions, this leads to them working on problems that affect them both as individuals and as a collective.