We are proud to announce that Sasha is a WFTO Trade Guaranteed member.
January a new beginning, a fresh start to the year. SASHA welcomed January and how!!
The Annual Producer Group Meet
With December 2014 well spent organizing and managing events, the 36th Annual PG Meet was indeed eventful. A three-day long event that brought together our Producer Partners and struck a delicate balance between business and pleasure. With over 70 members present the packed days saw Consultants and attendants from different backgrounds come together.
Day one was an enlightening session on Garments workshop by Anjali S. The thrust areas where development of a responsible and Eco-friendly chain. All present agreed that minimizing bottlenecks, developing skills matrix and strengthening the supply chain will dramatically affect the output in a positive way. GOTS, FLO, WFTO certification were also a part of the interaction.
Group Heads and our CEO, Ms. Roopa Mehta took all present through their respective Presentations and shared their agenda and focus areas for the future. A session was dedicated to the Fair Trade Guarantee System. Being part of this family means that we push standards higher, as well as working towards the proven set of practices, procedures and processes that demonstrate social, economic and environmental responsibility. Mr Mitter from Indian Institute Of Management gave the participants an insight on matters relating to Ethics and Efficiency.
 
A documentary on how a hospital chain that has taken this outreach model to a national level was the highlight. All the members present did a collective activity and shared how the learning was applicable in the Fair Trade world.
ONergy – a leading social enterprise had an enlightening 30-minute session with the participants. Their vision is to create a sustainable environment by providing access to clean energy options. Jeremy from Shared Earth was a special visitor who was keen to share his experiences of doing business the Fair Trade way.The Annual Meet ended on a high note with Ms. Mehta, Mr. P.S. Chawla and Jeremy giving away the trophy to Shabana and Amitava for their overall performance in the year. Sagarica of Das Embroidery and Chhandabrati Weavers were also appreciated for their efforts. The selection was made through a comprehensive assessment based on three broad parameters : Business, Spirit of partnership and Fair Trade Compliance.
WFTO Guaranteed Fair Trade Organization
Our commitment to Fair Trade principles continues to deepen. It was an occasion to celebrate for SASHA on becoming a WFTO Guaranteed Fair Trade Organization! We thank all our well-wishers, our producers and artisans, our buyers and Fair Trade partners. Watch out for the WFTO Product label on our products. Since its implementation in May 2013 the WFTO Guarantee System has seen members going through the procedure and earning the guaranteed member status. The SAR is one of the three components of the GS. It is where each member assesses their compliance with the requirements of the Guarantee System. This is then checked through external visits (peer visits and monitoring audits).
In our ceaseless endeavor for achieving high quality standards we went through our HACCP Audit process in the month of January. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point is a process control system designed to identify and prevent microbial and other hazards in food production. The renewal of the certification for the spices manufactured under RASA is all set to meet the benchmarks for best practice in the food industry.
Gender Workshop and FT principles: To reinforce the Fair Trade Principles and Gender Equity, SSA organized a workshop amongst its team members and the organization. It was a lively session with active participation of all present that kept up the momentum and interest. Earlier the tone was set with a presentation by Ms. Sujata Goswami and her team.
Silk Mark: SASHA SHOP had a presentation by the Silk Mark Organization, an initiative of Central Silk Board, Ministry of Textiles and Government of India.
About Silk and Silk Mark Scheme were explained in detail along with the benefits to the common consumer. Information Brochures were distributed. Different varieties of cocoons, raw silk and silk fabric swatches for knowledge of the audience too were shown. Silk products with Silk Mark tag and hologram duly attached were also on display for information and awareness among staff members. Testing methods of Silk were shown & the queries raised by the audience were addressed.
We wish all our readers and well-wishers a FABULOUS 2015! The stars seem perfectly aligned for a great year ahead!