“You must be the change you wish to see in the world”
– Mahatma Ghandi
What if a major hub – let’s call it Nirvana Airport – decided to focus its retail and dining offer (or a large proportion of it) on fair trading and sustainability?
Let’s say its travel shopping line-up targeted the socially-conscious (particularly the Millennials) who are so determined to source the ‘right’ products. Those who expect more from a product. Those who want to know the story behind a product. Those who want to know where it came from and who made it. Was it created in a fair, safe and environmentally-responsible way? What was the impact of that creation on people and the planet?
How far is the airport retail and food & beverage sector from our hypothetical nirvana? Is it doing enough? Does our ‘industry’ demonstrate leadership on one of the biggest international consumer stages of all? Or is it mainly viewed as a crassly commercial sector, obsessed by profits rather than social conscience?
Those questions – and their answers – are far more complex than they appear. In fact, the duty free and travel retail industry has a proud record in giving back. An ever-increasing number of individuals and companies are constantly supporting charities and implementing improved and extended CSR programmes which focus on sustainability and fair trading. The Moodie Davitt Report has talked about and championed such efforts for many years. We do more than report, however, and try to play a leadership role in both giving and communicating.
We need only to look at the remarkably sustained and generous industry support of the Hand in Hand for Haiti-funded and managed Lycée Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable in Haiti to see what a united travel retail industry can do.
But what if the sector could ‘give back’ in another way? What if it could impact the future of the planet by championing, even demanding, values of sustainability and fair trading? Let’s set aside for a moment all concession fee considerations and ask what would happen if an airport dedicated a commercial zone only to products and services that fulfilled certain Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) criteria?
In this article, we consider some of the industry’s efforts to date and highlight some of the many remarkable projects around the world that could find their way into the shopping and F&B offer of that socially minded Nirvana Airport.
Recent travel retail initiatives
Industry giant Dufry, in collaboration with the United Nations (and with the support of The Moodie Davitt Report) is blazing a trail with its #YouNeedToKnow campaign. That aims to raise awareness of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals.
And there are many major players who consistently emphasise that they are out to make a difference. Let’s examine some of the recent projects, for example what Mondelez International is doing to protect forests in Ghana.
Gebr. Heinemann is working to tackle the problems associated with the use of plastic bags. The retailer notes a -70% reduction in the number of single-use plastic bags last year at stores participating in a pilot sustainability project. Heinemann is partnering with marine conservation organisation OceanCare in an initiative to reduce plastic waste, which is having an increasingly calamitous effect on the environment.
Many beauty houses – consider Chopard’s natural path – are underlining the importance of sustainability. Drinks brands, too, are focusing on what they can do to help save a planet which is rapidly heading to self-destruction. Amarula and Wild Tiger are just two brands which are doing much to protect endangered species.
Amarula is determined to raise global awareness of the plight of African elephants through its #DontLetThemDisappear campaign and ‘Name Them, Save Them’ programme. Similarly, Indian rum brand Wild Tiger donates 10% of its profits towards tiger conservation in Southern India though its Wild Tiger Foundation and actively supports conservation efforts.
Take a look also at what Costa sunglasses is doing in terms of ocean and sea life research and its Kick Plastic campaign.
And how Australian destination merchandise supplier Next 88 is underlining its commitment to CSR by working with House With No Steps, an Australian organisation that employs people with disabilities, typically Down’s Syndrome.
Next 88 Chairman, and leading travel retail consultant, Ivo Favotto suspects that most airports would consider the nirvana concept as “a nice-to-have rather than a must-have”.
“We do what we do because it is important to us not because it’s important to airports or retailers,” he says.
Should airports put a % value on CSR commitment in their tender? “Maybe if all else is equal or close, they could consider it. To an extent they would already do that with environmental initiatives etc. It’s all part of corporate reputation,” Favotto adds.
Changi Airport Group (CAG) is already onto the concept through its online duty free store, iShopChangi. Shop for Good is a newly launched social project by iShopChangi to showcase and retail art pieces and merchandise designed and produced by local enterprises. Shop for Good partners with The Art Facility to feature products created by talented students in a Pathlight School programme. The institution is the first autism-focused school in Singapore to offer local mainstream academic curriculum together with life readiness skills.
A selection of pouches and tote bags from The Art Facility is available on CAG’s e-commerce site, with iShopChangi working on a model of earned royalties for the artists per purchase. “Initial feedback and results have been encouraging,” says Changi Airport Group General Manager of Airside Concession Nicole Foo.
Foo says the project is an extension of the group’s vision of connecting people in ways that will enrich their lives.
“This social initiative showcases, and brings to market, art pieces and merchandise designed and produced by local enterprises. This helps connect Singaporean artists to a global audience… it is also a platform to empower and provide opportunities to home-grown artists with special needs.”
Shop for Good plans to introduce more new partnerships with various local enterprises, Foo adds.
Auckland International Airport General Manager – Retail & Commercial Richard Barker believes a Nirvana zone could work in an airport setting “as long as the products they are retailing were appealing to consumers”. He feels a brand’s CSR element alone would probably not be enough to drive sales.
Should a concessionaire’s commitment to CSR play a role in the airport operator’s selection process?
Should a concessionaire’s commitment to CSR play a role in the airport operator’s selection process? “It is not currently considered when we evaluate a potential retail partner though we have helped out a couple of smaller local brands with pop-up stores at the airport,” Barker says. “Most of those have gone on to have permanent stores.”
Barker points out that the airport recently asked a luxury brand not to stock fur products that were factory farmed. The airport’s CSR policy runs across the entire business, he says. “In terms of my commercial remit, I would also consider products that I would not sell, like the fur.”
Seeking Nirvana
What brands might we find in our Nirvana model and why would we consider buying them anyway?
Let’s look at a random selection of small brands that are flying the fair trading flag, brands which could easily fit in any international airport setting. Of course, logistics would prevent many of those mentioned from appearing outside their regional or national domain but they could be easily replaced by local equivalents under some form of travel retail CSR charter (not a bad idea in itself, that every airport tendering a commercial contract places a percentage value on CSR contribution).
“The time is always right to do what is right” – Martin Luther King
A leading star in the handicrafts and accessories channel could be Sari Bari, an Indian company which, with the help of a network of local women, recycles saris into bags, blankets, cushion covers, throws and accessories.
The company describes itself as “a freedom business”, providing employment for women who have been exploited in the sex trade or who are vulnerable to trafficking.
Sari Bari Co-Founder Sarah Lance says: “We started (in 2006) because we wanted to provide an economic solution to an economic problem. The women had no choices; they need employment, something that gives dignity and allows them to feel and understand their value.
“With each stitch, a life is transformed. With each thread, hope is woven into a woman’s future.”
The company employs over 100 women in four locations. They are trained as artisans and produce sustainable and handmade products which include a remarkable hand-stitched Bon Boho quilt.
“With each stitch, a life is transformed. With each thread, hope is woven into a woman’s future” – Sari Bari Co-Founder Sarah Lance
All profits from the business benefit the women of Sari Bari and their families and are used to create opportunities for freedom for more women. Sari Bari workers are invited to become shareholders after completing five years of employment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQfFJSo-jww
Freeset is another company dedicated to helping women who have been forced into prostitution.
New Zealanders Kerry and Annie Hilton left New Zealand in 1999 with their four children and moved to Kolkata, India to work and live among the poor. Without realising their mistake, they signed up for an apartment which was located in the heart of the city’s red light district. Their neighbours were women forced into prostitution by trafficking and poverty.
To make a difference that would bring real freedom for these women, the Hiltons looked for a business alternative. They believed the women could be trained with skills for a new job and empowered with the life skills needed to appreciate freedom. Freeset trained and employed them to make jute bags. The business grew from 20 women in 2001 to more than 250 now producing over 1,000 bags a day. Other products include organic cotton t-shirts, bags which can be customised and hand-woven scarves.
The Freeset Trust is a charitable organisation which operates alongside the business providing literacy classes, child care, budgeting and debt management services.
Causegear products are also made in India but designed in Chicago. The company’s mission is to transform the lives of one million people through its 5X JOBS Model, a “sustainable alternative to hand-outs and a dignified pathway out of poverty”. Causeway says each purchase of its bags, t-shirts and accessories supports a job that pays five times the normal rate. Moreover, a hefty 90% of profits benefit crafters. “The income provides for life’s essentials (food, water, clothing, housing, medical, and education) for the crafter and those they care for,” the company states. Most Causegear products include the name and face of one of its crafters. “We believe in empowering people and giving them the dignity to work them out of poverty,” says Causegear. Causegear also offers a range of Made By Free Women products. |
Another company which believes in breaking the cycle of extreme poverty through sustainable job creation is Yellow Leaf Hammocks. Imagine a selection of its “ridiculously comfy, shockingly soft and indisputably awesome” products in our Nirvana hub.
The company’s fascinating story involves a missionary, a hammock-loving Swiss tourist and a young American entrepreneur. This unlikely trio has led to the ‘rebirth’ of the endangered Mlabri tribe in the hills of Northern Thailand through a weaving project.
“Our artisan weavers and their families were previously trapped in extreme poverty and debt slavery,” says Yellow Leaf Hammocks Founder Joe Demin. “Now they are empowered to earn a stable, healthy income through dignified work. We call this a ‘prosperity wage’. This is the basis for a brighter future, built on a hand up, not a handout.”
Yellow Leaf Hammocks’ partnership with Kiva, an online lending platform connecting online lenders to entrepreneurs across the globe, has spurred financial training and planning. Many weavers have opened bank accounts for the first time in their lives. Kiva has also provided weavers with loans to give them ownership of the materials.
“Businesses that only care about profits could soon become a thing of the past. Social businesses are on the rise and the public’s appetite for organisations that not only earn a profit, but also accomplish sustainable social change is growing” – Yellow Leaf Hammocks Founder Joe Denim
Yellow Leak Hammock’s website includes stories from its weavers. The company underlines four pillars of sustainability: environmental stewardship, social equity, economic health and cultural autonomy.
“Businesses that only care about profits could soon become a thing of the past,” Denim says. “Social businesses are on the rise and the public’s appetite for organisations that not only earn a profit, but also accomplish sustainable social change is growing.
“Social good and this idea of using business to drive change were really in our DNA. If you look at all the companies out there right now, there are thousands of social enterprises. Even if a tiny percentage of those companies do succeed, the world will be a significantly better place.”
Parker Clay is a socially-motivated luxury lifestyle brand which offers quality leather and textiles made in Ethiopia. The company is dedicated to “transforming communities in Ethiopia through social and economic empowerment”.
A documentary on orphans inspired Parker Clay Founders Ian and Britanny Bentley to visit Ethiopia, establish the company in 2013, and adopt two children from the country.
“Where others saw problems, we saw potential,” the founders say. Parker Clay uses two platforms to affect social change in the capital Addis Ababa: its Ethiopian non-profit partner, Ellilta – Women at Risk, and the Parker Clay Production Facility.
In Addis Ababa, an estimated 150,000 women work in the commercial sex industry. Women are lured into prostitution as a way of supporting themselves and their families. “Having witnessed their cry to escape the sex industry, we partner with the non-profit Ellilta – Women at Risk to empower these women in Ethiopia to realise their potential,” explains Parker Clay.
“Buying a bag can change someone’s entire life”
“A job for our artisans means more than just a paycheck; it offers an avenue to support themselves and their families, representing social standing and economic stability – and a chance to invest in building a better life.”
Parker Clay products include a range of leather bags, purses, pouches, hair bands, baby shoes and blankets. Travel Essentials include overnight bags, luggage tags, wallets and passport covers. Ethiopian coffee is also available.
“Buying a bag can change someone’s entire life,” comments Zewditu, a Parker Clay Employee in Ethiopia.
Krochet Kids sells headwear, bags, accessories and stuffed toys. It’s another company with a remarkable set-up story involving four young men crocheting beanies for themselves and friends in the USA. Their enthusiasm prompted a network of crafters and workers in Uganda and Peru who are working and being educated through gifts designed to give back.
“An opportunity to flourish does not start with a hand out; it starts with a job,” sums up Krochet Kids’ approach to business and its mission to “transform Northern Uganda by hook and yarn”. Its products are made at Known Supply facilities and its customers have the opportunity to meet the person who helped produce the garment. Every product is hand-signed by the person who makes it.
Krochet Kids says its two project locations are “microcosmic examples of what we hope to replicate throughout impoverished communities around the globe”.
“Our products, our non-profit partner, and our community work in unison to help people break the cycle of poverty. We provide life-changing job opportunities to women in need.”
Purse & Clutch also promises to connect customers with its weavers and seamstresses in Guatemala and leather workers in Ethiopia. The brand sells bags, wallets and accessories. Every purchase, it says, contributes to its mission of ethical fashion practices by supporting and sustaining long-term employment for men and women with limited opportunities. “Our goal is simple: to be an agent of change in the fashion industry while connecting like-minded women around the world,” says the brand. “Good fashion is as much about the maker as it is about the customer. It’s about art, about connection and about sustainability. By working directly with artisans in Guatemala and Ethiopia, we provide thoughtfully designed and ethically-made handbags to help end the cycle of poverty – to be a part of changing the fashion industry for good.” |
Thistle Farms is another name which wouldn’t be out of place at Nirvana Airport. It is a non-profit organisation with a mission to heal, empower and employ women survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and addiction.
Funds are raised through social enterprises, events and a range of body and home products. Included are large woven welcome mats made through The Welcome Project in refugee camps in Greece. The project aims to emphasise acceptance and solidarity with refugees. Its mats are woven using up-cycled blankets, which are considered old and unusable. The blankets are cleaned, processed and interwoven with strips of life vests.
Thistle Farms offers an extensive range of products through a network of global partners. One is India’s Mata Traders, a fair trade clothing and accessories company with products made by artisans in India and Nepal. Every item is an original piece and many incorporate craft traditions that date back centuries, such as block printing and embroidery.
With Ikirezi, a Rwandan farming cooperative, Thistle Farms offers a safe, effective and DEET-free Bug Spray while Beljoy jewellery is handmade by Haitian locals. Hands Producing Hope specialises in wicker baskets, which are handcrafted by Guaymi artisans in Costa Rica, and Alaffia offers a range of body and haircare and accessories to fund empowerment projects in Africa.
People Tree is recognised as a pioneer in ethical and environmentally sustainable fashion. It has partnered with fair trade producers, garment workers, artisans and farmers for over 25 years.
Handmade jewellery in brass and silver plate from Bombolulu Workshops comes from Mombassa, Kenya and supports physically-challenged people and encourages sustainable businesses.
The Nirvana Airport project could also insist that its food & drink line-up includes companies such as Café Justo, a coffee grower cooperative based in Chiapas, Mexico. Its goal is to provide incentives for people to remain on their family lands, to ensure the coffee is organic, and harvested and marketed in the right ways.
The list goes on and on as, refreshingly, there are thousands of companies devoting themselves to the future of the planet and its inhabitants (people or animals).
Let’s ask our industry’s consumers, the passengers, what they want. Do they drink coffee or wine, eat chocolates, like clothes, jewellery and other accessories? Almost certainly, yes. Do they ask where those products come from, how they are grown, where the production line starts and how it ends?
The answer is that many do already and many more will.
Maybe Nirvana Airport could help provide the solutions.