Innovation

There is a current mindset that organic products may not be the best quality and are really expensive. This viewpoint often prompts people to choose conventional products. Elkie and Ark tries to prove the opposite. They sell the highest quality products providing fair prices through all stages. This is a big challenge that the business has been able to overcome and there are several reasons that contribute to this achievement.

Although the world has progressed much to combat human trafficking and child labour, many countries are still not immune to this exploitation of vulnerability. Having first hand experience living with rural communities, Sam the director of the company realized that these poverty-stricken regions are “vulnerable to high levels of trafficking”. Although he supports charities, Sam’s understanding about the immense change basic education and paid employment can create in people’s lives combined with his long history in sustainability, led to wanting to prove that business can be done better.

Elkie and Ark is an online store that structures its operations around the essential trifecta of education, living wages, and increased opportunity. Setting this as the core of their business strategy, the business is able to sell their organic linen in the most sustainable way, giving the best to its customers.

Inspiration

The main idea as Sam explained, was to “challenge the mainstream means of production while trying to make this innovation the new norm, not a niche.” The business sought to achieve this by producing highest quality materials while equally providing care for workers and environment. Since many of the end customers are so disconnected with the real landscapes, communities and people who support the production, this inevitably leads the customers to have minimal consideration of their impact from purchases. By providing full transparency of its supply chain, this is an issue Elkie and Ark is trying to mitigate. Sam also shared how his company wanted to make a change and stop some societal issues from happening by providing communities with real solutions to their needs that surpasses charity work.

Overall impact

Elkie and Ark have so much to offer to its surrounding business. The business makes all its wool products in Australia’s very last mill, thereby providing more local job opportunities. Elkie and Ark is also selective about its farms, in that they choose to work with small- scale, family run fair trade farmers while also ensuring that child labour is absent in the supply chain. This helps the business to diversify and offer the highest quality linen, clothes and sleepwear. Since this innovative unit is truly adhering to sustainable practices, at the current stage it does not boost profits. Nevertheless, Elkie and Ark is a prime example of a business paying more back to its people and ecosystems.

Causing around 20,000 deaths and poisoning 77 million cotton farmers; Elkie and Ark strictly forbids conventionally grown cotton and substitutes it with organic fair-trade cotton. By providing job opportunities for women in these factories and mills, the business provides another helping hand for them to not be subject of trafficking. Employee welfare is of utmost importance to the business, providing them with healthy food, holiday leave, maternity leave and safe transport home. Apart from receiving living wages, workers also have access to the shares of the overall business. A worker credits the business, “I just know that this business takes care of me. Not just me, but my whole family”.

Elkie and Ark is a brand that tells its full story. Since all the products are certified by Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), transparency in its supply chains is paramount to the business. Through this certification, the business heavily relies on organic processes, prohibits the usage of toxic solvents and ensures to use 100% recycled and recyclable packaging. Hence, the company seeks to minimize its environmental impact.

The evidence of the company’s innovation impact comes from two sources:

1. First-hand experience: Sam explained, “Our team visit factories to speak to workers one on one, without supervisors around and seeing the physical environment that workers have access to”

2. Public Studies: The benefits and hurdles of Fair trade is thoroughly researched and explained to respective communities.

3. Relying on the assessments from GOTS and Fair Trade International.

Business benefit

Since the business’s supply chain operations are thoroughly explained in their website, customers are more educated and aware about the changes Elkie and Ark makes internally, and this prompts them to choose the company’s products. Having launched in the late 2016, a quick glance through Elkie and Ark’s website reveals the many customers who are already in love with their products and have returned to make more purchases. The company has also received many awards in recognition of their commitment to sustainability, social entrepreneurship and as an Ethical Enterprise. Thus, Elkie and Ark builds a reputation as a responsible business, providing the best to its customers.

Social and environmental benefit

Elkie and Ark always ensures to place people in front of profit. Unlike conventional textile companies, this business has taken an extra step not only care about their workers, but also understand the needs of their families. And this was truly evident in 2017, when they used 100% of profits to “charities in fighting childhood disease, teaching literacy and sustainable farming, and fighting trafficking in Australia and abroad”. The company also pays scholarships for workers’ children and have designed literacy programs for women.

Through the reliance on organic cotton Sam told that Elkie and Ark have been able to save 90% of irrigated water. Since its factories use biomass waste to fuel processes, it only required 50% less energy compared to conventional cotton. While factory floor waste is upcycled into quilts and stuffing, organic waste cotton seed serves as animal feed. To make their products 100% plastic free, paper, cardboard and cloth packaging from waste off cuts are used. All of this ensures to remove toxic chemicals from ecosystems and waterways. In an era where the society is being more and more inclined to the adoption of greener choices, businesses like Elkie and Ark forms a vital source and model for other businesses to be aspired to.

Interview

Sam Johnson, Director