A GRAND ADVENTURE
ON A HUMAN SCALE
Respect for employees and partners, respect for the environment, respect for our customers. Respect is the conviction by which we operate every day, and the value which guides us always.
MUSKHANE is a socially and environmentally engaged brand. We strive to leave a minimal footprint on the environment whilst making a positive impact on the lives of our partners through fair-trade and sustainable commerce.
It is this optimism and engagement which we hope to share with our clients, by offering ecologically-minded products, sustainably produced.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
A daily, comprehensive management of resources to ensure nothing is wasted.
Water conservation and management in Nepal is a daily preoccupation. Water shortages and power outtages are a permanent occurance in Kathmandu. These conditions have lead us to examine the ways in which our means of production are as respectful of resources as can possibly be.
Using natural fibers
All of our products are hand-made from the finest natural and renewable materials available: sheep's wool, Nepalese cotton and paper.
Innovation and Loyalty
Our products are exported to France by plane, the only mode of transport available from Nepal. To compensate for the CO2 emissions due our activity either in Nepal or in France, we are partner of Geres. Committed to Climate Solidarity, our approach is recognized by the Geres because it is part of a sustainable development dynamic and participates in the fight against climate change.
SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT
Since its creation, MUSKHANE has been active in the support of social work in Nepal, especially in the domaine of education.Since 2006, we have provided logistic and financial support to the DEM association in Nepal, who head up a program in the Kathmandu valley aiding poor families and providing educational grants to students.
Just after the earthquake in 2015, we collected a sizeable budget from our family, friends and wholesale customers in a matter of 10 days to provide emergency aid on-site. We worked with the UNHCR, trusted Nepalese associations and the families of people we know in Kathmandu to provide shelter to 18,000 people, and give food and essential items to nearly 500 families in distress.
Since this, we are still and even more devotedly looking for partners to provide grants and fund education for young people on-site.
FAIR AND RESPONSIBLE TRADE
Respect for the rules of responsible commerce is our ethos, and the driving philosophy behind the story of MUSKHANE.MUSKHANE was created as the result of a study by Handicap International which focused on the realities of fair-trade practices in India and Nepal. Except for one of our ateliers, our entire network of suppliers and producers is made up of people we met during that study. Many of them are directly affiliated with the Fair Trade label, and others are family businesses which respect the principles.
Our aim is to create the conditions whereby everyone can give the best of themselves.
Thanks to our team in Nepal, on site year-round, our relationship with our suppliers is based on proximity and a durable, on-going dialogue. We know all the workshops with whom we work, and they all accompagny us for the development of our brand.
On our side, we are committed to giving a fair price to the artisans so that they can achieve a comfortable living wage. Rather than negotiate a low price, we ask our suppliers to deliver high-quality materials within the stipulated timeframe. We also finance over 50% of fabrication so that our artisans and suppliers will not have to risk becoming indebted in the process.
