"BEHNO" MEANS "SISTERS" IN HINDI.
OUR NAME, A COMMUNITY.
AT OUR PARTNER FACTORIES, INDIVIDUALS WILL REFER TO FEMALE COLLEAGUES BY THEIR FIRST NAME FOLLOWED BY THE SUFFIX OF "BEHN" (SISTER). IN PLURALITY, THEY BECOME A COMMUNITY OF SISTERS OR BEHNO.
THE BEHNO STANDARD
OUR MISSION IS TO REDEFINE AND BRING SHARP AWARENESS TO SUSTAINABILITY AND ETHICS TO FASHION. WE ARE SETTING A NEW STANDARD FOR MANUFACTURING FOR THE GLOBAL GARMENT TRADE THAT REVOLUTIONIZES THE WAY GARMENT WORKERS AND ARTISANS ARE TREATED, VIEWED AND EMPLOYED.
OUR AIM IS TO BECOME PART OF A GLOBAL MISSION THAT INSPIRES CHANGE, IMPROVES FACTORY CONDITIONS, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SAFETY OF INDIVIDUALS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES BY WORKING WITH INTERNATIONAL FACTORIES THAT ADHERE TO RIGID COMPLIANCES.
OUR OBJECTS ARE MADE IN FACTORIES THAT INCREMENTALLY IMPLEMENT "THE BEHNO STANDARD," A SET OF SIX GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
HEALTH
- Provision of exemplary healthcare services including coverage and access to health clinics.
- Access to fresh sanitized water and additional nutritional ammunition for those in need.
GARMENT WORKER SOCIAL MOBILITY
- Active acknowledgement of garment workers through fair and transparent agreements.
- Elimination of child labor.
- Equipping garment workers with specific high-end technical and creative craft trainings to further their skillset.
- Fair wages.
FAMILY PLANNING
- Accessibility to and provision of affordable family planning education and services.
WOMEN'S RIGHTS
- Prioritization of women’s legal and physical social mobility by providing leadership opportunities to female workers.
- Ensuring equal remuneration for women as their male counterparts in similar positions or roles.
WORKER SATISFACTION AND BENEFITS
- Development of clean recreational spaces within the factory setting where garment workers feel safe and welcome to relax, socialize, and find spiritual and educational resources.
- Access to schools and educational and recreational resources for garment workers’ children.
- Subsidies and reimbursements for transportation to and from home when appropriate.
ECO-CONSCIOUSNESS
- Utilization of state of the art machinery geared towards safety and controlled carbon footprint and environmental waste.
- Installment of safe foundation infrastructure abiding to international regulations on safety standards and worker rights.
- Sourcing of leather from compliant tanneries and factories using leather resulting from the existing food supply chain.
- No fur or exotic skins.
- Limiting fabric wastage.
THE GARMENT WORKER PROJECT, MSA ETHOS, GUJARAT, INDIA
The Garment Worker Project debuted in July 2016 at Sotheby's in New York City. Created out of a collaboration between nonprofit organization Muni Seva Ashram (MSA), veterans of the garment industry, and the team behind behno, MSA Ethos is an ethical knits and wovens ready-to-wear factory that first implemented “The behno Standard.”
Through the Garment Worker Project, behno’s founder, Shivam Punjya invited fashion photographer Dan Smith and documentary filmmaker Kent Mathews to MSA Ethos to explore the less visible side of fashion. Smith captured the unique individuals of MSA Ethos through an emotional series of intimate portraits while Mathews documented their personal stories and the unique infrastructure of the factory through documentary film.
Ultimately, the initiative demonstrates that garment workers are not a commodity and that garment production in the multibillion-dollar fashion industry does not need to be based on the exploitation of labor.
#GARMENTWORKERPROJECT
The portraits below, all shot by fashion photographer, Dan Smith, are framed and available for sale. Please inquire within by emailing customercare@behno.com.
"BEHNO" MEANS "SISTERS" IN HINDI.
OUR NAME, A COMMUNITY.
AT OUR PARTNER FACTORIES, INDIVIDUALS WILL REFER TO FEMALE COLLEAGUES BY THEIR FIRST NAME FOLLOWED BY THE SUFFIX OF "BEHN" (SISTER). IN PLURALITY, THEY BECOME A COMMUNITY OF SISTERS OR BEHNO.
THE MAKING OF OUR BAGS
THE BEHNO STANDARD
OUR MISSION IS TO REDEFINE AND BRING SHARP AWARENESS TO SUSTAINABILITY AND ETHICS TO FASHION. WE ARE SETTING A NEW STANDARD FOR MANUFACTURING FOR THE GLOBAL GARMENT TRADE THAT REVOLUTIONIZES THE WAY GARMENT WORKERS AND ARTISANS ARE TREATED, VIEWED AND EMPLOYED.
OUR AIM IS TO BECOME PART OF A GLOBAL MISSION THAT INSPIRES CHANGE, IMPROVES FACTORY CONDITIONS, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SAFETY OF INDIVIDUALS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES BY WORKING WITH INTERNATIONAL FACTORIES THAT ADHERE TO RIGID COMPLIANCES.
OUR OBJECTS ARE MADE IN FACTORIES THAT INCREMENTALLY IMPLEMENT "THE BEHNO STANDARD," A SET OF SIX GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
HEALTH
- Provision of exemplary healthcare services including coverage and access to health clinics.
- Access to fresh sanitized water and additional nutritional ammunition for those in need.
GARMENT WORKER SOCIAL MOBILITY
- Active acknowledgement of garment workers through fair and transparent agreements.
- Elimination of child labor.
- Equipping garment workers with specific high-end technical and creative craft trainings to further their skillset.
- Fair wages.
FAMILY PLANNING
- Accessibility to and provision of affordable family planning education and services.
WOMEN'S RIGHTS
- Prioritization of women’s legal and physical social mobility by providing leadership opportunities to female workers.
- Ensuring equal remuneration for women as their male counterparts in similar positions or roles.
WORKER SATISFACTION AND BENEFITS
- Development of clean recreational spaces within the factory setting where garment workers feel safe and welcome to relax, socialize, and find spiritual and educational resources.
- Access to schools and educational and recreational resources for garment workers’ children.
- Subsidies and reimbursements for transportation to and from home when appropriate.
ECO-CONSCIOUSNESS
- Utilization of state of the art machinery geared towards safety and controlled carbon footprint and environmental waste.
- Installment of safe foundation infrastructure abiding to international regulations on safety standards and worker rights.
- Sourcing of leather from compliant tanneries and factories using leather resulting from the existing food supply chain.
- No fur or exotic skins.
- Limiting fabric wastage.
WHAT GOES INTO OUR HANDBAGS AND LEATHER OBJECTS
THE GARMENT WORKER PROJECT, MSA ETHOS, GUJARAT, INDIA
THE FACTORY: OUR BAGS ARE MADE IN A WORLD-CLASS FACTORY WHICH WORKS WITH LUXURY PURVEYORS ACROSS THE GLOBE. OFTEN CAUGHT BY SURPRISE, OUR PARTNER FACTORY IS LOCATED IN INDIA, WHERE METICULOUS, TREASURED, CENTURIES-OLD CRAFTSMANSHIP THRIVES IN OUR MODERN WORLD.
Our partner factory spends much time ensuring it minimizes its environmental impact by sustainably sourcing its materials and subsequently recycling any waste, including plastics, metals, and leather. The factory is committed to reducing its carbon footprint by utilizing state-of-the-art, energy saving machinery and infrastructure. The factory is REACH compliant, to protect its workers' human health, and also ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certified, assuring it has an effective environmental management system in place. The factory also incrementally implements extended elements of The behno Standard.
THE TANNERY: OUR LEATHERS COME FROM ONE OF THE WORLD'S FINEST TANNERIES LOCATED ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE ICONIC CANAL CITY OF VENICE AND NOT TOO FAR FROM THE FASHION CAPITAL OF ITALY, MILAN.
Our tannery is a Gold Member, the highest status awarded, of the Leather Working Group (LWG), a consortium of stakeholders that develop and maintain rigid protocols to assess the environmental compliance and performance capabilities of leather manufacturers. The LWG promotes sustainable and appropriate environmental business practices within its industry to improve manufacturing by transparently aligning environmental priorities with best practices known to improve the world around us. The LWG works with leading technical experts, NGOs and other stakeholder organizations to ensure a comprehensive environmental stewardship protocol is developed and adhered to.
The Garment Worker Project debuted in July 2016 at Sotheby's in New York City. Created out of a collaboration between nonprofit organization Muni Seva Ashram (MSA), veterans of the garment industry, and the team behind behno, MSA Ethos is an ethical knits and wovens ready-to-wear factory that first implemented “The behno Standard.”
Through the Garment Worker Project, behno’s founder, Shivam Punjya invited fashion photographer Dan Smith and documentary filmmaker Kent Mathews to MSA Ethos to explore the less visible side of fashion. Smith captured the unique individuals of MSA Ethos through an emotional series of intimate portraits while Mathews documented their personal stories and the unique infrastructure of the factory through documentary film.
Ultimately, the initiative demonstrates that garment workers are not a commodity and that garment production in the multibillion-dollar fashion industry does not need to be based on the exploitation of labor.
#GARMENTWORKERPROJECT
The portraits below, all shot by fashion photographer, Dan Smith, are framed and available for sale. Please inquire within by emailing customercare@behno.com.
THE MAKING OF OUR BAGS
THE FACTORY: OUR BAGS ARE MADE IN A WORLD-CLASS FACTORY WHICH WORKS WITH LUXURY PURVEYORS ACROSS THE GLOBE. OFTEN CAUGHT BY SURPRISE, OUR PARTNER FACTORY IS LOCATED IN INDIA, WHERE METICULOUS, TREASURED, CENTURIES-OLD CRAFTSMANSHIP THRIVES IN OUR MODERN WORLD.
Our partner factory spends much time ensuring it minimizes its environmental impact by sustainably sourcing its materials and subsequently recycling any waste, including plastics, metals, and leather. The factory is committed to reducing its carbon footprint by utilizing state-of-the-art, energy saving machinery and infrastructure. The factory is REACH compliant, to protect its workers' human health, and also ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certified, assuring it has an effective environmental management system in place. The factory also incrementally implements extended elements of The behno Standard.
THE TANNERY: OUR LEATHERS COME FROM ONE OF THE WORLD'S FINEST TANNERIES LOCATED ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE ICONIC CANAL CITY OF VENICE AND NOT TOO FAR FROM THE FASHION CAPITAL OF ITALY, MILAN.
Our tannery is a Gold Member, the highest status awarded, of the Leather Working Group (LWG), a consortium of stakeholders that develop and maintain rigid protocols to assess the environmental compliance and performance capabilities of leather manufacturers. The LWG promotes sustainable and appropriate environmental business practices within its industry to improve manufacturing by transparently aligning environmental priorities with best practices known to improve the world around us. The LWG works with leading technical experts, NGOs and other stakeholder organizations to ensure a comprehensive environmental stewardship protocol is developed and adhered to.