In 2019, Artistic Milliners became Pakistan’s first Fairtrade- certified, vertically integrated denim company. Fairtrade International is a global system founded to create resilient, transparent supply chains by ensuring safe and healthy working conditions, a sustainable livelihood for workers, and environmental protections through standards and certification processes. One of the worker benefits of Fairtrade is the Fairtrade Premium. A percentage of the product cost is given to a worker fund and dispersed to workers. The fund is managed by the workers, who vote on how the money will be distributed. To date, $2 million USD have been distributed to workers as a premium in the program.

The Better Work Organization is a collaboration between the United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC). Founded to unite the garment supply chain in a mission to improve working conditions and bolster workers’ labor rights, Better Work acknowledges the garment industry’s role in lifting people out of poverty and the efforts of companies like Artistic Milliners to reduce environmental impacts, create safe and decent jobs and empower women. Artistic Milliners collaborated with Better Work in 2022 and the company was among the organization’s first partners in Pakistan. Currently, we are working with Better Work on a pilot program called “Building Respectful, Safe & Healthy Factory Floor.”