Fair Trade Policy

New Overseas Traders is the wholesale division of The India Shop: a family firm importing from India. We have been trading for eighteen years. We are a member of BAFTS: the British Association of Fair Trade suppliers.

Our goods are handmade and we aim through fair trade to provide much needed employment particularly in rural areas and also to keep alive traditional craft skills.

We trade with family firms and co-operatives and by working together to introduce new products hope for long term working relationships and continuous employment for the craftsmen.

All workers involved in making and packing our products are treated with respect in reasonable working conditions and are paid fair wages. No child is exploited.

Our goods and production techniques are environmentally friendly. We reuse packaging and promote the use of newspaper. We use green electricity.

We support ideas for improving social medical and education conditions for worker families involved in the production of our goods.

Our Woollen Rugs

Our premium quality woollen flat weave rugs or "kilims" are handwoven in India in the heart of the woollen rug centre not far from Varanassi in North India. Our master craftsman designer a spry 70 year old is the third generation weaver in the family business. His sons and nephews are gradually taking over the routine work and there is a distinct possibility of the next generation of children being involved.

Hand spun wool comes from Bikaner on the far side of the Great Thar Desert; the wool is carefully dyed by hand, using ecofreindly dyes, dried in the sun and put ready for the weavers.

Each weaver has prepared for him the pattern and enough yarn to make the ordered rugs- some weavers travel as far as 90km on unmade roads from remote villages to collect the materials and deliver the finished goods.

After the loom has been prepared, often on the veranda of a cottage, an average rug with a new design may take 21 days to weave subsequent rugs take about 18 days.

The rugs are then returned to the centre where they are washed, checked and finally packed up for their long journey to UK.

No child labour is involved, fair wages are paid, reasonable conditions for staff are provided and much needed steady employment is offered.