Two hands holding the seam of a white fair trade organic Joyya t-shirt that has just been sown. The hem has a black fabric label with a large letter J for the brand Joyya on it.

BEHIND
THE LABEL

our commitment to ethical sourcing

HANDMADE BY CRAFTSWOMEN

FAIR-TRADE GUARANTEED

100% ORGANIC COTTON

ECO FRIENDLY DYES AND INKS

A Cotton plant up close with full buds in the cotton flower. In the background is a full field of cotton plants.

COTTON

Joyya tees are made from 100% organic cotton, certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). That means our cotton suppliers use sustainable farming practices that don’t rely on damaging chemicals, hormones or preservatives.

Rajlakshmi Cotton Mills, based in Kolkata, is a pioneer in fair trade organic cotton apparel manufacturing. The cotton they use is Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified, FLO-Fairtrade and Fair Trade-USA approved.

Rajlakshmi Cotton Mills 4th Floor, 234/3A, A. J. C. Bose Road, Kolkata, West Bengal 700020, India 800+ Employees, Started in 1934.

They source it from Chetna Organic, a farmer-run cooperative of over 30,000 farmers across the Indian states of Maharashtra, Odissa and Andhra Pradesh. The cotton is organically farmed and free from genetically modified seeds to benefit the soil, cotton and farmers. Crops are rain-fed and hand-picked. Organic farming is achieved through companion planting, crop rotations and on-site green waste composting to eliminate the use of chemicals harmful to farmers and their families.

Chetna Organic Cooperative H.NO. 1-305, Lakkaram Post Utnoor,Mandal, Adilabad district 9483 Farmers (15% female workers), started in 2004 annual production capacity of over 2000 tons Organic cotton.

SSV Textiles provides the cotton sheeting and canvas used in our bags. The fabric is GOTS certified and they are in the process of seeking Fair Trade certification through WFTO. SSV Textiles Exim Pvt.Ltd 3/160, A-Alampalayam pirivu, Annur Road, Mopperipalayam post,Coimbatore - 641659, GM = Mr S.Vedha, Email = vedhassva@gmail.com

A pile of raw cotton gin piled up on a wooden table.

GIN

Ginning (taking the raw cotton and removing the seeds) Once the cotton has been picked and harvested it is trucked up to Sagar Fibre and stored in huge piles. The Ginning process starts with the cotton being sifted (separating the seed from the cotton).

It's then sucked up in massive tubes (think a giant vacuum) and sorted by quality and squeezed into bales according to the quality. We love that the left over cotton seeds can be pressed to make oil or used as animal feed.

Sagar Manufactures Pvt.Ltd. The Sagar, E-2/4, Arera Colony, opposite Habibganj Railway Station 462016 Bhopal,Madhya Pradesh India.

A close up of woven jute fabric.

JUTE

Joyya bags are made from jute, a natural fiber that is both durable and recyclable. Some of our bags use laminated jute, which comes with a biodegradable plastic backing to help the bag hold its shape.

We source from Gloster Mills is one of the few (GOTS) Certified Companies in the jute industry. It is one of the fastest growing Jute manufacturing & exporting company and is a Recognized Export House.

Gloster Limited CIN : U17100WB1923PLC004628, Ajay Kumar Agarwal, Company Secretary & Compliance Officer 21, Strand Road, Kolkata - 700001

A Joyya Staff woman mixed paint for silk screening a design onto a product. In her right handle is a spatula being used to mix a bucket of purple paint.

INKS, DYES & etc

Joyya cotton is dyed using a 100% organic process that doesn’t pollute waterways or harm the environment. Our Kolkata facility uses water-based inks for screen printing, avoiding exposure to harmful petro-chemicals and compounds.

Joyya uses local dye houses which are GOTS certified to dye the natural cotton canvas and sheeting we buy from SSV Textiles. This ensures that workers, the environment, and customers are not exposed to toxic chemicals often contained in fabric dyes.

SSV Textiles Exim Pvt.Ltd 3/160, A-Alampalayam pirivu, Annur Road, Mopperipalayam post,Coimbatore - 641659, GM: Mr S.Vedha, Email: vedhassva@gmail.com

We try to source our bag components locally through ethical partners. For zippers (one of our key components) we use YKK Fastening. YKK has received numerous awards for their commitment to sustainability and ethical manufacturing.

A close up image of many spools of cotton thread being feed into a large weaving machine for t-shirt cotton production.

KNIT

Knitting - (from yarn to fabric) The knitting process is mesmerizing and the machinery looks like its out of a sci-fi movie. At this stage of the the process the Rajlakshmi Cotton Mill (RCM) team take hundreds of yarn bobbins and the are all synchronized, looped and knitted into fabric rolls.RCM director Rajat Jaipur believes the fair trade principles should not only benefit the mill workers that make our products, but also embrace the farmers and rural communities that grow the cotton we use.

RCM prefinance up 30% of the cotton harvest ahead of time to instill confidence and allow growth and strength between Chetna organic and RCM. RCM is 100% FLO and GOTS organic certified, the management and staff collaborate with a local NGO to calculate a living wage for employees every six months.

Rajlakshmi Cotton Mills 4th Floor, 234/3A, A. J. C. Bose Road, Kolkata, West Bengal 700020, India 27 women & 785 men (3.4%female workers) Started in 1934.

Looking over the shoulder of a women wearing a red and yellow sari sitting at a sewing table with a sewing machine.

MANUFACTURING

Joyya products are manufactured in Fair Trade conditions recognized by the World Fair Trade Organization. Our commitment to providing living wages, a healthy working environment and improving our planet has been recognized by the World Fair Trade Organization. Freeset was awarded a Fair Trade Guaranteed status as of January 2019.

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