We at Mifuko have been radically sustainable from the beginning, striving for sustainability in everything we do. We are determined to be a part of building a better, sustainable future. We want to contribute to solving the issues humanity faces, such as poverty, gender inequality, pollution, and loss of biodiversity.
Social Impact
Mifuko is a social enterprise with a mission of empowering women in rural Africa. Mifuko supports local entrepreneurship and community building through self-help groups. The women in these groups meet weekly to discuss, weave baskets and pass on traditional craft skills. The groups provide loans to members in need, enabling them to invest in family welfare or small business.
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Economic impact
In Kenya, climate change has led to recurring droughts making farming, traditionally the primary source of income and sustenance, an unreliable foundation for a stable livelihood. The income our artisans earn from Mifuko basket weaving helps ensure that families are cared for when crops can no longer provide security.
Environmental impact
We are committed to actively fighting climate change with two strategies: strengthening people’s resilience to climate change and limiting our own environmental impact. All Mifuko products are handmade from sustainable materials. The entire supply chain is transparent and Mifuko offsets carbon emissions from the shipping between Kenya and Finland.
Sustainability Report
We approach sustainability from a broad perspective, which we believe is necessary to ensure the global health of society and the planet. We have become increasingly ambitious in the promotion of sustainable development. Our goal is to reduce and offset our carbon footprint and to be carbon neutral in 2023. To measure our impact more accurately, we have introduced a GHG protocol in our reporting.
Read more about our sustainability principles and how we implement them in our operations in our latest Sustainability Report:
Reducing GHG emissions
We use the GHG protocol to calculate our environmental footprint. This helps us to understand the emissions in our supply chain and to think about ways to reduce them. The goal is to minimise emissions from our operations and offset the mandatory emissions by donating to the Mifuko Trust.
Our emissions in 2021 were 167 tCO2 in total. Of this, transport and business travel accounted for 65% and raw materials for 31%. Air freight is our biggest source of emissions. Reducing air freight is our biggest priority to reduce emissions. By shifting
from air freight to maritime transport, we can reduce transport emissions by 97%. We focus on using and developing materials with a low carbon
footprint and using recycled and upcycled materials wherever possible.
Sustainable Development Goals
Mifuko is determined to be a part of building a
better, sustainable future. We want to contribute
to solving the issues humanity faces, such as
poverty, gender inequality, pollution, and loss of
biodiversity.
Our efforts are guided by the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.
Our primary SDGs are:
- Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
- Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
- Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
- Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
- Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impact
Mifuko Trust
To further support Mifuko’s social mission, Mifuko started a non-profit organisation Mifuko Trust in 2012. Mifuko Trust improves the quality of life of communities in rural East-Kenya through donations and projects related to sanitation and climate change mitigation. Mifuko Trust has built dry toilets in the area, trained women’s groups in soap-making and hygiene practices, and the latest project trains women's communities in new farming techniques and agroforestry to help them adapt to climate change.
Mifuko Trust works with over two dozen self-help groups, reaching approximately 1,300 low-income families. Families have five members on average, so the Trust directly and positively impacts the lives of some 6,500 women, men, and children in the region. Mifuko Trust is a fully independent organisation. Through private and institutional funding, Mifuko Trust works with partners in Finland, Kenya and beyond to implement projects and other initiatives.
10 principles
Read more about the ten fair trade principles that every WFTO member organisation must follow.
Sustainability
Learn more about what it means to be radically sustainable and have a
positive impact.
Mifuko Trust
Mifuko Trust was founded to tackle poverty and increase the well-being of our artisans.
Mifuko Blog
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