Sustainability
At Roisin Cross Silks we take pride in developing and maintaining relationships with our fabric suppliers. We like to call our approach cocoon to couture as we know sustainability and ethics are important both our suppliers and customers.
Our fabric suppliers are certified by TEXTEX, the internationally recognised testing and certification institute for sustainability and excellence in accordance with international guidelines. The TESTEX Group (Zurich) is a founding and member institute of the OEKO-TEX® Association. They are the official OEKO-TEX® representative in Australia, Canada, PR of China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland and Taiwan.
Copies of these certificates may be viewed on request in our fabric shop in Stepaside Village.
Behind The Scenes at Our Indian Silk Supplier
Water Recycling and Reducing Air Pollution
Our Indian silk fabric supplier collects rainwater from the roofs of both the office building and the factory building. This is stored in a pond and used for the borewell.
They also use reverse osmosis and have an extensive effluent and sewage treatment for wastewater throughout the premises. The water that is used for dyeing the silk is decolorized in their effluent treatment plant and then passed through the reverse osmosis process. With these processes they can recover 80% to 85% of their daily water use. This treated water is then re used partly for the fabric dyeing and partly for their garden. Coconut, Teak, and Silver Oak trees grow in their factory grounds, which help to reduce air pollution.
To further reduce air pollution, they use hand pushed trolleys instead of vehicles to transport material and finished products around their 20-acre campus. Employees use bicycles to move from area to area.
Waste Management
They use briquettes made from peanut shells and sawdust to generate heat for the fabric dyeing process. Traditionally in India, peanuts are consumed daily, and the shells are thrown away as waste.
The steam created during the fabric dyeing process is transferred to a condensation chamber. This condensed water is used in the boilers to heat the water used in the dyeing process.
This effective way of reusing heat is an environmentally friendly way of reducing their fuel cost.
Energy Conservation
They have solar panels on the roofs of all the buildings. This generates 30% of their electrical needs. Solar lights are used on the roads and grounds of the factory. They also use solar energy for their general lighting and running of their weaving and dyeing machines.
Electric power cuts are very common in India. The stored solar energy reduces their use of diesel generators during power cuts.
Modern-day Slavery Policy and Employee Wellbeing
The company are very aware of their responsibilities regarding the nonpayment of ethical wages and bonded labour or modern-day slavery. Their workers and staff are well looked after and are paid fair wages and salary on time. They have a strong fundamental belief that it is important to have a happy workforce and not to shortchange anyone be it a worker or a vendor.
The company has an education program for the children of all its employees, the company provides scholarships for the children of their employees. They believe that education is the only way to bring about a change in the society.
The company has initiated a program of distributing free feminine hygiene products. These products are available for all female employee and for any other female in their home. This greatly improves the quality of life in rural India.
The company is very active in local social activities and charities. They help with distributing medical equipment, funding surgeries and food programs for those who most in need.
They have received recognition from NGO’s and the State Government for their work with the poor and those in need.
Giving back to society means a lot to them and they are proud of contributing to preserving the environment and society for a healthier tomorrow.