According to the World Commission on Environment and Development, sustainability is defined as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs". The new concept of sustainability is the "Triple Bottom Line", which consists of social, environmental and economic performance aspects. Human wellbeing refers to social performance, which includes basic needs, personal development, well-balanced society; environmental wellbeing includes healthy environment, climate and energy, and natural resources; economic wellbeing is related with preparation for future and economy.

An effective sustainable fashion supply chain helps companies to enhance brand image and reach a wider range of ethical consumers. As a result, for firms, being sustainable is a way to promote their responsibility to society and environment so as to gain the competitive advantage in the market.

For consumers, purchasing sustainable fashion as a human psychological need is a way to express their attitudes of equality and sustainability. Several consumer surveys in India, Europe and USA has shown that consumers do consider environment and social footprint of the products they buy and are ready to pay extra for organic textiles and other textile products produced in a sustainable way.

Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) label signifies that products have been produced with atleast 70% organic fibres in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. GOTS is a way to identify textiles that are safe for workers, environment and the end consumers. GOTS addresses sustainable goals by prohibiting the use of chemical inputs that don't meet standard's criteria for hazardous substances (like formaldehyde, APEOs, heavy metals etc.), toxicity, biodegradability etc. GOTS also defines requirements for the treatment of wastewater. GOTS also defines social criteria for processing units to ensure decent working conditions for workers involved in production. Sustainable fashion products are often made by organic fibres, which are produced with lesser water consumption and without toxic pesticides. Organic farming is also being promoted by current Indian government and also brings in premiums for farmers, hence supporting their livelihood.

The presentation includes examples from India and abroad of brands telling their sustainability story as a part of promoting their sustainably produced collections. It also focusses on important aspects of the structure of a sustainable fashion supply chain and how brands work in the sustainability arena.

Consumer awareness and education about different options available in field of sustainable fashion is vital to sustainability focused branding. Key initiatives by NGOs and governments are also discussed in the presentation.

To be effective in maintaining the quality and brand image that customers have come to expect from an organization, quality assurance team need to:

• Integration of inspections and required tests into the overall manufacturing and supply chain process, which secured brand image and make consumers feel happy.
• Implementing of international standards throughout the value chain, which streamlines products saleability.
• Manage brand image at various manufacturing stages, services, and platforms to guarantee smoother development of complex, sophisticated products.

Physical, functional and analytical tests need to be optimized across manufacturing and supply chain process to ensure that end product meet customer expectations. Quality assurance start long before you've even decided what to do about creating branding of product. Setting of right procedure and SOPs (Standard Operation Procedures) will help to identify non conformities and provide sufficient time to act under corrective action plan.

It is also essential to make sure that your planning process is inclusive when it comes to getting approval from everyone who needs to approve it, this process help to minimize wastage and reduce manufacturing cost.

Your quality assurance strategy should be clear enough and training should be provided to all key stake holders.  

The handlooms and handicrafts sector plays a significant role in India's economy, substantially contributing to large-scale employment generation and exports. It also constitutes the cultural lifeline of the country and represents its rich heritage. With a pressing need to enhance livelihoods and employment through growth in manufacturing, handicrafts / handlooms comes to the forefront as a major sector which already has an established skill and manufacturing base across the country. This sector is a pillar of the rural economy in India, and if strengthened through crafts enterprise promotion, can reinvigorate the sustainable local economy of our country.

Though traditional craft skills (both handicrafts and handlooms) have historically been a regular means of earning livelihood in rural India, the unorganized and highly fragmented nature of this sector has led to several gaps and problems resulting in devaluation of hand crafted products and lack of sustainable livelihood opportunities in the modern world. Younger generations from the traditional craft producing communities are not interested in engaging with this sector or learning these skills because they do not see any future in doing so. This is leading to declining craft skills, unemployment among youth, and their engagement in menial jobs, adding to low self-esteem, exploitation, dire working conditions, and further marginalization. Unless these issues are addressed in an integrated way, overall growth of this sector to meet the requirements of a global creative industry is not possible. It is a critical need to create an enabling ecosystem for the craft sector so that its producers are valued and respected for their skills and they become active stakeholders and beneficiaries of the larger wealth creation process.

Under the current scenario, where handmade products are facing fierce competition from cheap machine made products, where high level of human skills fetch poor income and less respect than machine copies of their handmade products, the only way to restore the value, the skills, and the dignity of work is through branding and certification of genuine 'handmade' crafts of India, thus protecting the interests of authentic Indian handicrafts. To ensure that our rich and diverse living traditions are not lost, it is essential to create a differentiation for genuine handcrafted premium products so that they command premium value in the world market.

Ten years ago, AIACA created "Craftmark", a certification that stands for genuine Indian handmade crafts of high quality produced in a socially responsible manner. Though the realization of the importance of such a "Mark" or "Brand" was slow, with time and market recognition, the idea has caught on. As of today Craftmark has been able to reach out to more than 150 members with a total outreach of more than 50,000 artisans across 23 states of India covering more than 90 handicraft processes. Craftmark members use this brand wonderfully to market their products abroad and are able to gain better prices and recognition for their crafts and creativity. West Elm, a retail store in USA that features modern furniture and home décor and has steadily increased their selection of organic, handcrafted, sustainably sourced and Fair Trade Certified products, says that "As part of the All India Artisans and Craftworkers Welfare Association, Craftmark certifies genuine handcrafted products. The organization connects artisans with broader markets, sets standards for handicrafts and develops social responsibility guidelines for the sector. Many of our collections are Craftmark certified, ensuring that traditional techniques are preserved. A 2012 study showed that Craftmark certification increases artisan sales by more than 30 percent."

With globalization and a great advancement in technology, the need for an umbrella brand for genuine handicrafts of India is ever increasing and a comprehensive and unified system of quality assurance and branding is essential. As early as 2012, addressing these concerns, the twelfth plan report noted that "the administrative division between handlooms, handicrafts, khadi, coir, micro-industries and other cottage industries, prevents efficient conceptualization of programmes, budgetary allocations and promotion and branding of Indian crafts for all the sectors in a unified manner. Global best practices are currently moving towards a broader rubric of promoting and commercializing creative and cultural industries in a holistic framework. In a rapidly integrating global market place, the focus, therefore, should be on promoting a unified Indian brand and removal of artificial divisions that compartmentalize administration of common sectors, thereby leading to more efficient utilization of resources and improved performance of the sectors."

With increase in exports and the global footprint of Indian crafts, certification, compliance consciousness, and responsible production systems (social as well as environmental) are also becoming increasingly important. Global brands and buyers in key international markets increasingly require suppliers in developing countries such as India to adhere to fair labour practices, workplace standards, and environmentally sustainable production. There are several quality certifications that exist for silk, khadi, handloom, wool, etc. However, awareness on these certifications needs to be created among producers and buyers. Inadequate promotion and use of certifications and lack of branding for premium high quality crafts having standard certifications have thwarted the growth of national and international markets. Moreover, too many certifications also sometimes lead to confusions both among the producers and the buyers, thus failing the purpose of these certifications to some extent. Alongside awareness creation for these quality assurance tools, capacity building of this sector as a whole regarding the importance of and compliance to various quality, environmental, safety standards is critical.

India has a vibrant environment for craft based organizations in the private sector space. Various craft enterprises across India use different for-profit and non-profit models to carry out innovative and sustainable solutions to the problems faced by craftspersons and promote crafts enterprises. A range of development organizations across India work towards sustainable livelihood using handicrafts skills, as well as revival and promotion of endangered crafts forms and continuity in practice of the crafts skills by the artisans. In the private sector space, social enterprises that are oriented towards market sustainability are directly working with craft practitioners / organizations / clusters through established and effective marketing and branding mechanisms nationally and internationally with a focus on socially responsible initiatives. Individual artisans and artisan entrepreneurs themselves are doing business and are striving to scale up.

However, it is now time to consolidate and support these efforts at the policy level by creating and promoting a unified "Handmade in India" brand through planned long term national and international campaigns highlighting the great diversity of skills and creativity of Indian handicrafts. Additionally, GI for Indian crafts should play a very strong role in branding and, a strategy to promote GIs needs to be established, integrating it with the "Handmade in India" brand. This will lead to enhanced business, trade and improved livelihood for artisans adding to their dignity of work!