AMWA Designs – handmade in Africa with love and respect

Posted on 3 March 2011

AMWA Designs is located in a small industrial park near Bethany Homestay where I spent last night. The premises comprise a showroom and factory where bags and interior design soft furnishings are made and sold in bulk to suppliers throughout the country, as well as internationally.

I’m met by Solly Levy (who together with his wife Lindy has been running the business for 20 years, originally in Zimbabwe) and Chris Galloway who handles AMWA’s sales and marketing.

AMWA are accredited by WFTO (World Fair Trade Organisation) but Solly and Lindy have been running their business according to Fair Trade principles since the early 1990s.

As we walk through the showroom, admiring the colourful printed leather bags, cushions and a range of kiddies’ fun print Ts, mostly in African themes, Solly tells me about AMWA designs. I start by asking what made him decide to go the fair trade route even if it sometimes seems counter-productive in business.

“Coming from Apartheid South Africa I understood the nature of inequality during the struggle years and how it affected individuals I knew. I wanted to address those inequalities. But I’d be lying if I didn’t also say it’s a good marketing tool. Many of our international suppliers will only buy and sell fair trade products.

However on the ground it also means a better working environment for our staff. If the staff members are happy they work hard and are more productive. We do things like buying cake when there’s a staff birthday. In addition the staff member gets a half day off on the Friday of that week. Our working hours are fair – in fact we work a 40 hours week even though this industry allows for a 44 hour week. We have free filtered water available to all staff and we give them lifts home at the end of the day.

The main fair trade aspect of our business is the fairly recent introduction of a buy in / profit share system – in years when there is a profit those staff will get a percentage. This results in them feeling part of this business, not just workers. Staff who have a low absenteeism and who show a good work ethic are considered eligible to be part of this system, so there is an added incentive to pull their weight.

We enjoy seeing our staff excel. We like to promote our existing staff when there is a new vacancy, and send them on training courses to better equip them for the job.

On the environmental front we use water based ink even though there is a lot of pressure to buy cheaper ink that prints well but is more harmful to the environment. It is becoming easier though as better products become available due to the increase in demand for “˜green’ materials. Our leather is sourced locally and we use natural cottons and linens as much as possible. In the factory we recycle off-cuts to make smaller products, and we have a waste water filtration system in place.”

Once Solly leaves to attend to business, Chris and I walk through the factory. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed as it is tea break time. The factory areas are light and spacious and the staff are friendly if a little shy when I photograph them at work.

I then interview two staff members for FTTSA – Eric who hails from Zimbabwe, and Petronella who started off as a cutter and is now a supervisor.

AMWA Design is a great example of a thriving business creating beautiful quality products while honouring the people who work for there, and the planet.

AMWA is Khoi San for “˜coming together’.

Find out more:
www.amwa.co.za

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