Feather Touch

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Feather Touch

 

Profile of CONTIGO´s partner Feather Touch

Supply chain

Trading Partner: Feather Touch, medium enterprise
Function: Producer
Structure: Own production plant, affiliated production groups
Tradeway: Direct import CONTIGO

 

Kolkata to Göttingen (Source: Google Earth)

Products

Leather products, focus on ECOfriendly leather from vegetable tanning

Goat leather, vegetable tanning

Location

Kolkata, in the state of West Bengal, India – distance to Europe: 7,300km

Founded in 2005

History

  • Nandeswar Prasad Chowdhury, former product development officer for EMA (Equitable Marketing Association; Kolkata´s first Fairtrade marketing organisation) found Feather Touch as a marketing organisation for different handicrafts from groups in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal
  • 2000: Death of founder; son Vivek Chowdhury (19 years at the time) takes over the family business
  • 2005: Feather Touch moves to an own production site in Kolkata and specialises in leather products
  • 2010: CONTIGO meets Feather Touch for the first time
  • 2013: Deepening of the cooperation between CONTIGO and Feather Touch; focus on own designs and high quality
  • 2015: Feather Touch specialises in high-quality products made of ECOfriendly cow-hide leather. Ranges with goat and buffalo leather are produced as well
  • 2016: Development of own ECOfriendly leather varieties in cooperation with an associated tannery
  • 2017: Start of an own, rented tannery
  • November 2019: Purchase of a new five stories building for packing and production, located in a nearby commercial area

Cooperation with CONTIGO since 2010

Structure of the company

Number of employees: 

  • Internal employees / at the central workshop: 40-45 employees
    • Thereof 20 employees with fixed salaries in these departments: administration, purchase, design & product development, sample making, cutting and quality control
    • 7 producer groups with 20-25 employees in total, paid by piece-wage, produce bags and wallets
  • External / decentralised producer groups:
    • 2 groups for production of wallets and small leather items
    • 1 group for shanti leather: owner Zameer Ahmed, cooperation with Feather Touch since 15 years
    • 1 group for spray painted leather goods
    • 6-10 people in each producer group

Work environment: 

  • Five stories building and roof top
  • The building disposes over generous working space, well set up office and show room facilities, a cafeteria, passenger lift and freight elevator

Organisation of work force:

  • Production groups with leader and team:
    • Team consists of handcrafters with different skills and experiences (un-skilled, semi-skilled and skilled) for simple glueing tasks up to complex works (cutting and sewing)
  • Production at the central workshop:
    • Entire bag production
    • Production of ECOfriendly leather ranges
  • Production at decentralised workshops:
    • Workers produce leather accessories in their own workshops in the surroundings of Kolkata
    • They receive prepared material packages, as well as advance payment for operating and labour costs

Sales

  • Exports (100%) to Austria, UK, Germany, Italy, Australia, Netherlands

Goals

  • To expand the work force to 250 crafters of the new bag and wallet production site within the next years
  • To upgrade an own tannery to procure high quality ecoleather
  • To increase the number of women in production. This will be in place as soon as the new premises is set up

Special features

  • Special focus on environental friendly production and ecofriendly leather processing
  • Outstanding knowledge and expertise in all fields of the leather production process from raw hide to ready made product

 

Why does CONTIGO work with Feather Touch: Feather Touch is an upcoming company with focus on continuous improvements of design, quality and working conditions.

 

Fairtrade classification

FTA = Fairtrade Approved

 

Fairtrade aspects

Feather Touch8

Feather Touch complies with the following Fairtrade Principles:

No child labour

No discrimination

No discrimination due to gender, disability, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political orientation, or infection with HIV

Many different religions work together at Feather Touch.

Fair wages

  • Minimum wage in the state of West Bengal: (INR = Indian rupee), for tannery and leather industry
    • Un-skilled : INR 8,005/ month
    • Semi-skilled: INR 8,806/ month
    • Skilled: INR 9,687/ month
  • Employees with fixed wages:
    • Wages in quality control and back work: INR 7,000 – 8,000 / month
    • Wages in production (semi skilled): INR 9,500 -12,000 / month
    • Wages of specialists: INR 13,500 – 22,000 / month
    • All above mentioned wages are minimum and increase depending on order situation (bonus, overtime)
    • Monthly remittanceto personal bank accounts
  • Staff in production groups (at the central workshop as well as at decentralised workshops) receive piece-rated wages:
    • Minimum wage: INR 8,000/ month
    • Team leader receives INR 15,000/ month
    • Income depends on order situation and attendance time of worker
    • Predominantely cash payment
  • Wages are 10% higher than paid for comparable jobs in the region
  • Salary increment every year (due to inflation)
  • Higher wages in case of overtime on Sundays and bank holidays
  • Bonus payment for salaried staff (1 monthly salary)
  • Bonus payment for group leaders and good performing staff in the production group  (50% of monthly salary)

Humane working conditions

Working hours: 

  • 8 hours/day (Saturday 10:30am-7:00pm)
  • 30 minutes break
  • 6 days/week

Social benefits:

For all salaried employees:

  • Paid festival holidays (17 days per year)
  • Continued payment of wage in case of sickness or accident (12 days)
  • Recreation holidays (4 days)
  • Payment of contributions to health insurance ESI (=Employee State Insurance): employer pays 3,75%, employee pays 0,75% of monthly wage
  • Payment of contributions to pension scheme PF (=Employees´ Provident Fund), employer and employee pay each 12 % of monthly wage (less “housing allowance”)
  • In case of need or family reasons: interest-free loans for all employees with individual refunding
  • In case of overtime: Feather Touch provides food and accomodation

Occupational safety:

  • All safety standards are met
    • Protective clothing is provided: breathing masks, protective glasses
    • First aid kit is available, a training for 2 first aid officers is carried out in December 2019
    • Fire license (with regular external controls, internal training)
    • Two emergency exits, external staircases

Transparency

  • Payroll is available
  • SAR (Self Assessment Report) was duly submitted to CONTIGO

 

Monitoring

  • Personal visits in Kolkata (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
  • Feedback interview during several visits in Germany

 

Country information

See Encyclopaedia Britannica: India 

 

Photos

Visiting Feather Touch in Kolkata (2018)

 

Visiting Feather Touch in Kolkata (2014)

2014_Feather Touch1 2014_Feather Touch2 2014_Feather Touch42014_Feather Touch52014_Feather Touch6 2014_Feather Touch8

Visiting Feather Touch in Kolkata (2013)

Visiting Feather Touch in Kolkata(2011)

Author: Janina Lange on 18. December 2019

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