How can you help to achieve gender equality with your wallet?
In our world of consumerism and instant gratification, it’s no wonder most of us forget to consider the original source of the product itself. For generations, society has been telling us that all that matters are the assets you have, but with a wave of social impact sweeping across the world, we are starting to see more companies and more consumers choosing to buy products with a clean line of production. What does this mean? It means that every piece of the product has come from a certified fair trade factory that is following the guidelines set in place by its certifiers.
In 2015, the United Nations introduced seventeen sustainable goals to transform the world by 2030. In this episode, Drakshan Khan talks about the United Nations’ sustainable development goal #5, gender inequality. As the CEO and co-founder of AKS Sustainable Sneakers, Drakshan shares with us how AKS came about and how they have been able to positively impact the lives of Pakistani women and girls through equal opportunity.
Supporting Women Artisans: Achieving Gender Equality
We believe that through employment and fair trade you can lift artisan communities around the world. 80% of women in developing countries are involved in the artisan sector who invest their earnings back in their children. We work directly with all our women artisans and give them above market price for their craft, giving them the ability to triple their monthly income.
women make 3 times their average salary working with AKS
Make a difference
Get involved and start paying attention to the products you purchase. With a booming ecosystem and the movement of socially conscious companies, Drakshan Khan helps us to better understand the ins-and-outs of fair trade and how we can make a difference. An easy start is to buy products that matter like the sneakers from AKS for example
The Best Quotes Of The Show
I have a co-founder who is my sister and we share similar values and we have a similar reason for being here. I can’t think of a better partner to have than your own sister!
Just like in any country, there are cities that are thriving and more forward-thinking. And in Pakistan, it is no different. There are cities where women are thriving and doing great work but there are areas and rural villages that need more Women’s development.
I never thought that I would be an entrepreneur, my background is in finance and economics. I love studying communities and how we can uplift them. So I guess social entrepreneurship was just a natural fit for my calling.
Learn from other women social entrepreneurs how they started their fair trade companies.
Make sure you buy organic fair trade cotton when you shop If a product is too cheap, someone is suffering somewhere
