Story | Ecowings

In brief

Ecowings offers professional bags and accessories made from upcycled tyre tubes. The inner truck tubes are recovered from the waste stream of India and given a second life, so that this rubber is not burned and CO2 emissions are considerably reduced.

Ecowings wants to reduce the mountain of waste in India by giving waste a new life and thereby inspire the local population to adopt a green lifestyle.

Ecowings is a social enterprise in India and currently offers employment and training to a team of 20 local artisans. All products are made by hand. Ecowings shows that you do not have to compromise on quality and design if you choose for social and sustainable products.

Mission

Ecowings mission is to protect nature and animals. Ecowings does this by removing the inner tubes of trucks from the waste stream of India and giving them a second life. This means they are not burned and CO2 emissions are reduced. In addition, with the upcycling of rubber, Ecowings shows that recycled rubber is a great alternative to leather and other animal skins.

Ecowings aims:

Improving our lifestyle through green products
Promoting reuse and upcycling
Creating fair business opportunities
Helping craftsmen and rural communities towards self reliance
Inspiring youngsters through green innovations
Spreading Green awareness
Protecting animals and nature

About us

Ecowings was founded in 2011 in India under the leadership of Kapil Sharma, an Indian designer with a passion for nature and innovation. The design and production of the products takes place in its own workshop in Indore, North India. Ecowings offers employment and training to a team of 20 local artisans.

In India, Uma Sharma is responsible for business operations and marketing. In the Netherlands / Europe, Angela Rooijmans is responsible for the sale and further development of the Ecowings brand.

Production

The production process in photos. Click or tap on the images for more information.

Re-used rubber

Reused rubber can evoke a negative association, for instance with rubber granules that is used on artificial turf fields. Some people say that rubber granules could possibly be carcinogenic. However, the RIVM has investigated this and has established that this is not true. Their findings can be found here.

Ecowings has sought advice from Cosanta (a research agency on chemical risks). As an importer of the products, we needed to know whether we comply with the European guidelines of REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) and whether the rubber of inner tubes can be safely reused.

Cosanta has ascertained that Ecowings complies with the European directives and that Ecowings bags are completely safe.

You can find their findings here: Report Ecowings legal obligations as importer of articles

Social impact

Ecowings is keen to uplift the economically weaker section people and trying hard to uplift their skill set. We are working closely with several people from rural areas and through our guidance and skill development interactions we are developing their skills. Through this way they feel motivated and able to earn their livelihood through upcyling with great environmental cause.

We are proud that in recent years we have already inspired and developed a few rural families. Thanks to their craftsmanship and commitment, Ecowings is able to turn its goal into reality and we can achieve growth. We are proud on our craftsman and consider them our family. We respect their cultural values and traditional skill and we never force them to do something beyond their skills and knowledge.

Working conditions

Ecowings provides a safe and healthy working environment for its employees. The Ecowings workshop is located on the outskirts of the city in an open and green environment near lush green fields. We give a lot of freedom to our workers. The workshop is very spacious, neat and clean with fresh air flow. We use sustainable and environmentally friendly materials and products as much as possible.

Ecowings rewards its employees in an honest way. We give fair wages according to their skill set, which is always higher as compared to other places. There is no discrimination based on race, caste, age, gender or any other aspect. Child labor is strictly prohibited. At Ecowings we provides a congenial environment to our labour and make them feel comfortable an safe.

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