Country: India
Sector: Retail and Consumer Goods
Eco Tasar supplies a wide range of high-quality tasar (silk) products to domestic and international markets, as it works with tribals involved in tasar sericulture to create sustainable income and livelihood opportunities for these underserved communities. The investment from C4D Partners, helped Eco Tasar establish and strengthen its operations and increase market reach.
Ansari, from Bhagalpur has been working with Eco Tasar almost since inception. During these years he has increased his income, improved his living conditions and is providing education for his family of four children. Ansari also sources weavers for Eco Tasar and has a network of about 25 weavers under him. Ansari says
“I have been working with Eco Tasar for 15 years now. Earlier, I had only one machine and the order used to be less. My economic conditions were also not very good. Now, the orders have gone up by four times. Ever since I have started working with Eco Tasar, a lot has improved. I have educated all my daughters and things are much better now.”
In 1984, PRADAN (a reputable NGO in India) started working with tribal in tasar sericulture as a NGO project with support from ICCO Cooperation. In 1996, after several years of community training & mobilization, Women were mobilized to make yarn as a livelihood. In 2007, Eco Tasar was formed as a private company to take forward the textiles part of the business. The Company has a wide range of high quality tasar products that includes off the loom items like scarves, stoles, sarees, and shawls and fabricated items like cushion covers and duvet covers which they supply to domestic as well as international markets.
Eco Tasar has constantly strived to create sustainable income for the lowest level in the livelihood pyramid. Weave a Hope is Eco Tasar’s program to reach out, to develop and strengthen human resources in its value. Objectives of the program that inculcate a positive social impact on the communities involved include:
Creating awareness about opportunities of employment and livelihood in its value chain
Creating opportunities for involvement of women in the value chain as far as possible
Collaborate with NGOs to involve local marginalized communities in its value chain
Imparting knowledge to producers
In the last decade Eco Tasar’s social program, in collaboration with PRADAN and other NGOs like Grameen Sahara has made a definitive impact in the lives of thousands of village men and womenfolk, yarn makers, weavers—literally weaving a new tapestry of aspirations and hopes, for a better future.
As of 2015, Eco Tasar has already generated more than 2,000 jobs (full time as well as contractual) who have earned more than Euro 600,000 in FY 2015. In addition their operations have helped provide Euro 140 (average) additional income annually to about 1,000 tribal families.
With an investment from ICCO Investments, Eco Tasar is expecting to impact at least 15,000 producers by 2021 from current 3,000, an increase of five folds. The Company is also targeting to increase incremental annual income of each producers to at least Euro 250 compared to current additional income of Euro 140. This is an increase of almost 80%. Eco Tasar will also strive for at least 30% of their revenue being paid as wages to small producers.
