Sustainability and Social Impact in the design world

The past 18 months I’ve said the word ‘supply chain’ more times than I can count. Clients want to know why their furniture is taking so long, why their bathroom faucet is ‘temporarily’ silver instead of the brass they ordered, and on and on. I’ve gained huge respect for the number of steps, the resources, and the people it takes to get a piece made and into a home. Recent events impacting the industry have pulled back the curtain on our inter-dependency and connections to people across the globe — and as a result I am so much more aware and appreciative of the many hands involved. 

So along with asking the question, “what is this piece made of”, I’ve been asking, “who is making this?” and how are the companies I support, supporting the communities they engage with? Here are a few companies who are doing a great job in that area -- and making beautiful furnishings as well! 

Jaipur Living - Jaipur founded the Jaipur Rug Foundation In 2004 to expand its social support for artisans in rural villages in India and beyond. They provide door-to-door medical assistance, train community leaders and entrepreneurs, and encourage creative expression through their Manchaha program, which not only provides an additional income stream for the artisans, but also utilizes leftover yarn keeping it from going to waste. You can read the inspiring story behind Jaipur Living here.

Cisco Home - In addition to a long-time commitment to using sustainably sourced materials, Cisco has founded several non-profit organizations, including META (Making Education the Answer) which provides college scholarships to Latino students in Southern California. Previously they partnered with (and co-founded) Refoundry, a furniture and upholstery program that provides skill training and entrepreneurship support for formerly incarcerated individuals. 

The Alpha Workshops - Alpha was founded in the mid-90’s as a non-profit to provide artisan training, employment and support for people with AIDS/HIV. They started with hand made wallpaper, and expanded to lighting, casegoods, and accessories. Today they are known as an award-winning design brand and represented in design showrooms on the east and west coasts, with all sales proceeds going toward supporting their growing programs.