TrendEthics

Trendethics acts as an incubator for ethnic minority women to help them develop their local activities, including weaving. Women need first of all to have confidence in themselves and in the possibility to have an income with their skills! 

TrendEthics supports the women in setting up and developing their local activity (catalogue of colours and patterns, logistics, communication supports, sourcing of raw materials...), as well as in business development: TrendEthics is their first client and then helps them to find other business development opportunities. 

If TrendEthics is scaled to work on South East Asia and maybe worldwide it could really support ethnic groups in finding a market for their sustainable products (TrendEthics works as a non profit organisation putting in contact artisans with business opportunities) and therefore fight against poverty, rural exodus and preserve the biodiversity (minorities represent 5% of the world population & preserve 80% of the world biodiversity).

TrendEthics aims to support ethnic groups in developing decent jobs in their villages. According to Worldbank, 370 million people in the world are from ethnic minorities and they are poorer than other people ! 75% live in Asia.

Indigenous people are less educated than other groups and therefore, it is difficult for them to develop a business, find a market for their handicrafts or develop a sustainable project for their village.

TrendEthics enables women to build their own business in rural areas using their skills. Let's take the example of weaving, most indigenous know how to weave and our very proud about their culture. However, they face discrimination, but they do not know how to sell their products.

COVID-19 has enhanced the world's inequalities and the need for changes in many activities such as agriculture & textile ! A switch to sustainability and fair jobs is urgent. Hand weaving is an ancestral knowledge completely in the move of slow fashion: local cotton, hand spinning, natural dye, hand weaving (so you produce less and adapted to a need) and requiring very little fossil energy. 

The aim is also to help these indigenous people be less dependant of big compagnies, more independant.

Our solution is to develop local programs in ethnic groups villages with a local partner that has a good understanding of their culture and lifestyle.

The first programs are weaving cooperatives, for the moment 4 in Vietnam, 1 in Laos and 1 in Cambodia, 1 in Myanmar (some are still at the first stage).

The next programs are trainings on sustainable farming: replanting organic cotton (1 in Vietnam), dried pineapple (1 in Vietnam), organic coffee (soon to start) & education for yound children (we help a Cils minority young man to structure his project to find solution against school drop out and find funds).

The process requires visiting the people, understanding their needs and what they want, some have been found and some people contact TrendEthics. 

The technology used are quite simple and low tech, such as gasifier for clean cooking and also cooking shells or other material necessary for natural dye: http://epwt.vn/en/home/ or ancestral knowledge and tools for handicrafts.

On the long term, this solution aims to redevelop sustainable villages where the minorities are out of poverty.

Our solution serves indigenous people, they represent 5% of the world population (370 million, according to WorldBank) but are poorer and suffer from climate change and deforestation. Indeed they mainly live in rural areas and preserve the forest, however governments or companies often intervene in their life and in their environment ...

To understand their needs we spend time with them, Lucie spent a year travelling to live with them and develop empowerment programs (Loas, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia).

When developing the solutions, first we ask if they want to develop these programs and why, then they take part in the implementation (for weaving a catalogue of traditional designs are made and women can also invent some, for agriculture we ask what they need help for and present some options for them).

These programs are very flexible and adapted to their needs, the main need for waving is finding a market and for agriculture it is spending less money for chemical fertilisers. For agriculture, Lucie uses her environmental engineering Master and local contacts to develop a real training program.

TrendEthics enables minority people to 

- develop their weaving business, helping them in structuration & business development. This requires sharing network, financing some needs (repairing weaving looms, glasses etc.) and also proposing technologies to improve (gasifier that enable to prepare natural dye with no smoke and while making a biochar for farming instead of making a fire).

- be more independent and sustainable for farming. This requires putting them in contact with people who have developed low tech or who do organic farming or experts and supporting in funding research.

-develop social project that matters such as education program

TrendEthics is the first incubator dedicated to ethnic minorities in South East Asia based on their skills and lifestyle !

TrendEthics is the first to have a catalogue of designs of ethnic minorities from 4 different countries Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam.

TrendEthics is both an organisation and a social business, investing the benefits to develop local empowerment, environment and education programs in the same villages as the programs developed.

Some social business develop some products from weaving: N'Go Shoes, Jamini Design, Turquoise Mountain, etc. but they don't work multi country and create the programs nor develop other types of programs (agriculture or other) nor directly support projects in the villages.

We are really connected to local people's need and Lucie has met all the stakeholders as she is in Asia since July 2019.

TrendEthics uses digital tools to support sustainable businesses developments (Airtable, notion etc.) and trains the empowered people to use these tools if it is relevant. 

TrendEthics has also developed a website to sell their products in France and share their culture.

TrendEthics stays on the page to use any relevant technology to improve processes, for instance a gasifier to cook shells to make blue color without smoke. 

We focus on low tech and cheap technologies so that it is replicable and sustainable.

We also develop a new business model: handicrafts enable to finance other projects that we support technically and in the global strategy. We are both incubator and social business to ensure that our business is viable for the future. We want to develop a new type of business answering to the needs of the world social and ecological transition.

• Concerning weaving programs, we preserve ancestral knowledge of natural dye and hand weaving. Each community has it's own technique and knowledge of the forest plants.

Hand weaving Cils group in Vietnam

Blue color for Cils group 

Cotton hand spinning by Lao group in Vietnam

• Concerning the new business model we are building, we use widely used digital technologies: airtable, notion, mailjet, social networks (facebook, Instagram), video making etc. Many startups & brands use these tools to market their product, tell their story and communicate. Our aim is really to use the codes of startup for a non profit organisation, in order to develop viable business opportunities for ethnic minorities.

Concerning the gasifier, a paper has been written : https://www.dropbox.com/s/wbar...

Our activities are:

1. Weaving programs: structuring, sourcing, business development
2. Agriculture:training programs and technical support by making connections between people
3. Education: support in structure and finding fundings
4. Sales of handicrafts from our weaving program for now and agriculture program in the future (dried pineapple, coffee)

Our outputs per activity:

1. Preserve ancestral know how of hand spinning cotton, natural dye and hand weaving.
2. Enable ethnic groups to have a better income from farming (less dependance to international organisations selling chemicals or seeds). Preserve their soil and forest to ensure future jobs and protect environment. 
3. Help the youth be more confident, access to more knowledge to have a decent job & understand environmental issues.
4. Help ethnic groups have a decent job from their know how and be able to send their children to school. Offer to the youth sustainable & decent jobs in their village.

Short term outcomes

1. Women are proud of their knowledge.
2. Farmers have less debts from buying chemicals and can get a better price for their products (dried pineapple program).
3. 23 kids can have a summer camp in Summer 2020 and less chances to drop off school 
4. Women can have a complementary income.

Long term outcomes

1. Women and youth can work full time on weaving activities.
2. The soil and forest is preserved and cleaned up from past chemicals, the farmers switch to more sustainable farming.
3. Programs to train youth to environment and avoid them from dropping school can be developed in different villages.
4. Decent jobs are created in the villages.

For the moment we measure are impact regarding 3 criteria:

1. Number of women in weaving programs: 27 in 2019, 41 in 2020, we expect to double in 2 years
2. Number of pillows sold: 80 in 2019, 200 expected in 2020, we expect 1000 in 2 years
3. Number of education, environment & empowerment projects supported: 1 in 2019, 4 expected in 2020, 10 in 2 years

Currently our project serves around 70 people (41 weavers, 10 farmers, 20 children). 

In one year it should serve 100 and in five years 500.

Because our solution is flexible we adapt to local needs identified for know and that could evolve. We support on structuring social businesses, finding a market for products, developing cleaner agriculture and improving education.

For now we have 4 projects ongoing

1. 8 weaving programs
2. Training for agriculture farming
3. Dried pineapple http://moonfooddienbien.com
4. Education helping http://www.lightupyourdreams.o... to find funds and structure the project

Next year our goals are

• develop sales to be more viable
• support the development of the 4 current programs
• find fundings to be able to replicate
• improve are positionning

Within the next five years our goals are

• develop 1 team in each country empowering these ethnic groups
• open to some new countries depending on opportunities
• structure some real empowerment programs on know how, environment including agriculture & education to replicate and be able to create partnerships with other organisations on other continent

For the moment we are a small team so we believe the best to replicate is to create partnerships with well established organisations in new countries.

We could create a real sharing and common platform to have a more structured approach to empower these groups while staying flexible.

The main barriers are as followed

• financial barriers, finding funds to have a bigger team and be more efficient. For the moment we are only 2 and we are quite overwhelmed.
• legal as we work in countries not always welcoming foreigner organisations
• cultural: ethnic groups are not familiar with business and money, this is also linked to a lack of education, however it is improving with the young generation. Some weavers trust very easily and do not check how much people pay and they do not always understand what is organic, what is natural dye etc.

The main barriers are as followed

• financial barriers, finding funds to have a bigger team and be more efficient. For the moment we are only 2 and we are quite overwhelmed.
• legal as we work in countries not always welcoming foreigner organisations
• cultural: ethnic groups are not familiar with business and money, this is also linked to a lack of education, however it is improving with the young generation. Some weavers trust very easily and do not check how much people pay and they do not always understand what is organic, what is natural dye etc.

Marie Van Haecke and Lucie Tailhades work as volunteers, Lucie is full-time and based in Asia.

Capucine Lonjon is volunteer and helps on designs.

Marie Van Haecke is a specialist of digital marketing and fashion business as she has developed her own brands. She is the one in charge of the marketing, business development and developing a trendy and efficient market place to sell the products. She has also supported many brands in digital aspects so she can really bring useful skills for this project.

Lucie Tailhades is engineer, specialised in environmental subjects, she works on implementation of the programs, developing sustainable products to fit the market needs. Lucie has worked as consultant on energy transition & organisation so she is used to empowering and sharing good practices.

Capucine Lonjon studied business and textile so she brings a real value on designing products that will be able to find buyers.

We work with many local partners

• In Dien Bien Phu (Vietnam) with Entrepreneurs du Monde local team
• In Da Lat (Vietnam) with Caritas
• We are also developing partnership in Myanmar with Fondacio which developed training programs for youth
• Different indigenous people on the field able to speak English or French

• We serve ethnic groups in South East Asia: Cils, Lao, Ede, Jarai, Bunong, Bamar, Kayan.
• We provide to indigenous people: training, help in structuring social business or project, support in business development and if possible we are their first client for them to have a first market
• Our customers are Europeans sensitive to fairtrade, Asia or simply wanting good quality and unique products. We aim to sell our products to businesses in Asia and Europe. 
• Products: pillow covers, pouches, fabrics, in the future clothes. All our products are ethically made and pay a special attention in having the best social impact and lowest environmental impact. We supply products answering a need in opposition of fast fashion and fast production.

• 

Our path to bring funds is double

1. Selling products made by ethnic groups, it could be possible to propose some consulting for ethical brands or NGO's
2. Getting grants and donations on the short term to structure are project

I apply to solve because we need a supportive community, mentoring to improve our solution and business model. We are also looking for funds and taking part in Solve is a real opportunity to meet these needs and be part of an mazing program including many game changers and innovative people. 

We are convinced that bringing together people aiming to change the world is already starting the change !

Moreover we really want to bring indigenous people's issues and knowledge to the world and this is the right place to do it !

We need partnerships to have a sustainable business model and replicable !

It is also very important for us to develop sales in order to have revenues and be viable but also continue helping new people. To do so, we need to improve our marketing, visibility and distribution channels.

We would like to partner with some already existing businesses that have experience of social business such as Patagonia or Veja and that could be a support but also a client for these ethnic groups.

I think we could also benefit from partnerships with Solve members and MIT initiatives that are linked to what we do: environment, handicrafts and education for underprivileged people.

Our solution aims to help women from indigenous people so that they can develop their own social business and be confident !

We started with weaving programs which focus on women and they are so proud to have a revenue from their passion that is also a decent job ! 

Our team is made of women and most of our local partners are women, they are the most at need and the ones able to make a change for their family.

The price would help us finance

• some local staff to implement the project
• develop training and support to more women
• improve market and communication so that the business development is easier for the women

We help indigenous people develop their own social business, we act as an incubator for decent jobs and enterpreneurship for underprivileged people.

We believe that they only need a little help to be able to realise their dream having more skills, our feedback and access to network.

The price would help us finance

• some local staff to implement the project
• develop training and support to more indigenous entrepreneurs