Goodfolks – A better world together. Here’s how we align with the UN SDGs
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests – An excerpt from https://sdgs.un.org/goals
Goodfolks was born as a genuine initiative to help grow wealth among local communities. Particularly those at the lowest levels of the economy. The urgency stemmed from the Covid-19 Pandemic which saw the meager incomes of small farmers and manufacturers being decimated. But the larger Goodfolks premise combines much needed change in a wide area of business operations and consumer culture as envisioned by our founders.
Below we list out the many ways in which we have aligned our concept, product, operations and growth with the UN SGDs
ONE - End Poverty in all its forms everywhere
Due to a lack of expertise and exposure, farmers and small scale manufacturers and businesses fail to command the right price for their product. Goodfolks identified products and ideas with potential and then develops them in collaboration with the people behind these products and ideas to reach a higher value and appeal to customers who acknowledge that higher value and are willing to pay it. For example The Bee Honey Industry in Sri Lanka was in a primitive state until Goodfolks highlighted its uniqueness. We launched the first ever regional bee honey collection and are working to secure international standards and certifications. Through additional research we are working on proving just how unique this product is and thereby increasing the value we pay for the product. This enhanced value goes direct to the bee keepers who can now earn a lot more than they did before.
TWO - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Bee keeping creates an easy additional income. So do traditional forms of treacle (Kithul and coconut), medicinal herbs, spices and related products we work with. All of this helps increase the earnings of a household and the nature of the production requires sustainable practices to be considered as authentic. While age old practices are preserved (using herbs for Kithul tapping) the operations are streamlined wherever possible and this leads to cost savings. Meanwhile the storytelling angle brings these products to new and bigger markets.
THREE - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
We say Goodfolks is good for you the consumer because our products do not contain any artificial chemicals or toxins. What you see is what you get. And this also helps us keep our products simple and our ingredient list limited to a couple of lines. This is true for even our non- food category products as we use non-toxic paints and material. So you do not need to think twice when you pick Goodfolks. Additionally, we strive to offer products that help sustain healthy lives. For most people trying to switch to healthy options – the challenge has been finding products that meet their health considerations and are also tasty in case of food or stylish in case of design.
FIVE: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
We truly believe that businesses must be built with the input of women as this helps bring a woman’s perspective and insights. Having women involved creates an immediate counterbalance to the male perspective that has wreaked havoc on this planet. At Goodfolks two of the three founders are women. And as a practice we seek how we can engage more women in what we do. For example, we are promoting bee keeping among female estate workers and housewives. Additionally a large collection of our products are driven by women. Our chutneys and pickles are by women entrepreneurs while most of our home décor and fashion products have been developed by women. By providing opportunities and following that up with guidance to help them continue these work, we are helping to create a strong representation of women in our products and offerings.
EIGHT: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
The previously mentioned SDGs help us achieve this SDG. Each product line is subject to cycles of development. For example the first step for bee honey was the launch of the regional collection. Next is the certification and standardization process. This will be followed up with new variants and merchandising. So we envision a constant growth cycle for our products. And because of our values we ensure that all this is done inclusively and sustainably. For example we strive to offer more employment opportunities to women and marginalized communities such as LGBTIQ persons. We in fact launched a spice mix collection in collaboration with members from the LGBTIQ community.
TWELVE: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Selection of products for the Goodfolks portfolio by and large takes this SGD into consideration. We try to avoid sourcing from large scale plantations and instead try to work with small holdings and encourage natural farming which enable a more diverse natural environment. When we do source from plantations it is because the product offers a valuable solution for consumers. Coconut Treacle from coconut plantations is a vegan, gluten free low GI natural sweetener. In contrast Kithul is always a mixed crop. This is why we say Goodfolks products are sustainable in consideration. Beyond the products itself, we strive to minimize plastic, maintain the bulk of our operations online and produce in line with availability/seasonality.
THIRTEEN: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
The nature of our products, sourcing, the production processes, operations and the partners we work with are all mindful of the single biggest challenge to our planet – climate change. Some even contribute to minimizing climate change. Our bee honey products demand that nature is preserved in its purest form – it works as a platform to create awareness about the need for nature conservation – it allows us to educate rural communities and children. Meanwhile spices and other agricultural products as well as raw material for some of our home décor products are sourced from nature and therefore the preservation of nature becomes an important part of their work.