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How We Give Back and Stay Sustainable

In our blog post last week we shared some of the steps that we have taken over the past year to improve the sustainability of our products and packaging. In this post, we’ll be exploring the ways in which, with the help and support of our customers and community, we were able to give back in 2021!

Buy One Give One 

As a company, we view giving back as a key element in fulfilling our aim of being a ‘Business for Good’, and a vital part of our sustainability policy.


Alongside the impact that we can have by providing employment in our local community, we feel that it is also important to support others around the world who are most in need. To do this, in 2018 we partnered with the non-profit initiative B1G1 (Buy One Give One), who support charitable projects across the globe, all of which are in line with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

For each craft kit that we produce, we’ve committed to donating one ‘impact’, such as a day of clean drinking water for families in Malawi, or a day’s tailoring training to women in rural India.  Knowing that each kit that we make will have such a profound impact on others’ lives gives us all the motivation we need each day!



Each quarter, we chose a new project to support, and in the past year, we were thrilled to be able to donate:

- 31,253 daily doses of vitamin supplements to children in Kenya
- 72,524 days of access to life-saving water to families in Cambodia
- 13,725 days of medical protection to street dogs in Nepal
- 46,501 days of work to decorate schools in India 

How do we choose the projects we support?

Each project that we support is carefully chosen. Our decision to support the vaccination of street dogs in Nepal, for example, was partly motivated by our desire to give back to communities in which our eco-friendly felting mats are produced, and also by the fact that reducing rabies in animals also benefits the people living alongside dogs, too! 

Having focused on animal welfare in Nepal in September, in December we decided to support children’s education by donating to a project that transforms schools in India into a creative and welcoming environment for children by decorating them with vibrant murals. We thought that their aim to spread joy and arouse the curiosity of pupils fitted well with our mission to create a global network of creative and curious people! 

Next quarter, we'll be continuing to focus on children's welfare by donating to a programme that supports children's nutrition in Malawi, by providing their families with seeds to grow crops, as well as training in conservation farming methods, sanitation, and income generation projects. So when you purchase one of our kits in the coming weeks, you’ll be helping us to ensure that a parent can provide their children with three healthy meals a day.

You can follow our progress, and the causes that we choose to support via our ‘impact counter’ here.

Other projects we supported in 2021

In addition to the impacts that we donate for every kit that we produce, over the past year we made several additional donations through B1G1. In May, our team decided to undertake the challenge of walking the distance between Land’s End and John o’ Groats. For each mile that we walked - 1,084 in total - we chose to donate a day’s access to a science lab for children in India - which was certainly inspiration enough to lace up our walking boots!



In December, when we discovered that we had won or been shortlisted for a total of seven awards in the Craft Business and Best of Craft Awards (the most awards we’ve ever received in a year!) we chose to celebrate by donating a year’s access to a sewing machine to women in Bangladesh for each award, enabling them to support their families by setting up a home business.

Finally, we also donated a year’s access to a special arts programme to a disadvantaged young adult, in memory of a dear friend whom we tragically lost in 2021, and who firmly believed in the power of art to help us to find unity and connection with others.

Giving back locally

Closer to home, we continued to support a number of local charities in 2021. For several years we’ve been donating part of the proceeds from the sale of our Miniature Wirehaired Dachshund needle felting kit to an incredible local animal charity, Edinburgh Dog & Cat Home. 

 

In March, we also held a fundraising workshop in support of EDCH, donating £10 to the home for every ticket sold, and thanks to the amazing generosity of everyone who attended we raised £1,000 - enough to heat the home’s kennels for a month! In November, we decided to hold a very different kind of sample sale on Black Friday, offering almost 50 finished craft samples for sale, and raising over £400 for EDCH. 

In June, we held another two needle felting workshops in support of local wildlife conservation charity The Scottish Seabird Centre, which also raised over £400.

Finally, but by no means least, through the support of our wonderful Crafty Kit Club members, last year we were able to raise over £700 for Edinburgh Headway Group, a charity that aims to empower and enrich the lives of adults who have survived an acquired brain injury. It’s a cause close to our hearts at The Crafty Kit Company, and we’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has become a member of our Crafty Kit Club, or purchased one of our treat boxes this year. 

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Comments

Rebecca Wall:

Thank you for your lovely, kind comment Judy xx

Feb 02, 2022

Judy Ryder:

This is an amazing round up of all that CKC has given back to communities. I hadn’t realised the full extent and really appreciated the full review. It’s wonderful to be a customer of such an ethical, caring and responsible company. Thank you x

Feb 02, 2022

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