Social Entrepreneurs
Social entrepreneurs use business as a way to create social change. The social enterprises we partner with employ local artisans – mostly women who live in rural areas, with previously limited or no access to paid work and sustainable income.
Started in 2012, IKEA now has several ongoing partnerships with social entrepreneurs, employing local artisans in vulnerable communities around the world. The social enterprises we partner with are mainly self-help groups and women-owned cooperatives. Making a decent livelihood helps them gain respect and create a better future for their families.
Together, we co-create unique products, using traditional handicraft methods and materials – limited edition collections available at IKEA stores in selected countries.
Equality works better, in India too!
For the last two years IKEA has celebrated International Women’s Day here in India.
When people have the same opportunities to grow, regardless of gender or background, everyone wins. Equality just works better.
Honouring the effort to build a more inclusive and equal world our limited edition collection is co-created each year with skilled female artisans in India. By empowering women through their craft, they can improve their livelihood, also enabiling better food and education for their children.
ANNANSTANS - collaborative and social-minded
ANNANSTANS is a limited edition collection created with social entrepreneurs in India as well as two other countries. The items stand out for their collaborative, social-minded values as much as for the quality of the design and hand-finishing.
ANNANSTANS collection is where handicraft merges with modern design and the individual products are more like a family than a collection.
Building partnerships with social entrepreneurs
We want to build lasting relationships with our partners and support their development, that’s why we work together to share knowledge about design, production, environmental management, export and more. Through us, the social entrepreneurs can access a global marketplace, giving them a strong foundation for self-sufficiency and independence.
Since all the products are handcrafted – or originate from small-scale farming – and the enterprises have access to limited resources, the production is also limited. That’s why, we can offer the collections to selected countries only. Through our collaboration with social entrepreneurs, we want to support positive economic and social development across the world – long-term sustainable change in a way that charity by itself can’t.
We are currently working with social entrepreneurs in India, Thailand, Uganda, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Croatia, Romania, Jordan, USA and Canada. We are actively looking for new partners around the world.
“They learn the skills and acquire the resources to bring about a lasting change in their lives. And they’re not dependent on charity.”
Sumita Ghose, Founder and Managing Director, Rangsutra
These women inspire us. Hear the story of a social entrepreneur and an artisan in India.
