When it comes to driving transformative societal change, many entrepreneurs have embraced the path of social entrepreneurship to create impact. One such organization has emerged as a pioneer in making an impact while being financially sustainable.
Gulmeher, a women’s collective from East Delhi, attempts to provide alternative livelihoods to women working as waste pickers in the Ghazipur slum community.
The Gulmeher Impact
Founded by Anurag Kashyap in 2013, Gulmeher was intended to respond to the needs of the waste pickers community in Ghazipur.
Over 120 women have been skilled in alternative income generation by making handicraft products. The Gulmeher team has been able to help over 40 women by assisting them in transitioning from waste picking to entrepreneurship.
The women joining Gulmeher create eco-friendly products using discarded flowers from the nearby wholesale flower market and recycled paper to advocate sustainability. Thus, every woman who is a part of Gulmeher is also an artist.
“There is a flower market right across the Ghazipur landfill. A lot of flower wastage happens in the area. Our idea [behind Gulmeher] was to combine the two factors, flower wastage, and the community’s needs to create a program where the women would benefit by creating these products and, in turn, would be able to market them,” Kashyap shared with LifeBeyondNumbers, explaining the rationale behind setting up an organization that emphasizes social and environmental impact.
The women who join the organization are given training in stitching, painting, packaging, etc., to create the products they do.
You improve the lives of Gulmeher’s women waste pickers turned artisans with every purchase you make.
A one-of-a-kind venture
From an economic perspective, working at Gulmeher ascertains regular incomes for the women rather than sporadic amounts that they would earn from waste picking. They also have a provident fund and an ESI fund.
As per their impact report, Gulmeher achieved sales of almost Rs. 4 cr over the last eight years and wages and salaries of more than Rs. 2 cr earned by workers and staff.
What is interesting to note here is that the women of Gulmeher aren’t just employees but also company owners. Gulmeher functions as a corporatized cooperative wherein the women who work at Gulmeher are also the shareholders.
“That is the biggest difference between other organizations and us because eventually, they [the women who work at Gulmeher] could drive Gulmeher in the future. They would be able to appoint more people and expand the organization further,” shares Kashyap.
Towards a green future
If you scroll through the website of Gulmeher, you will come across several products like bags, envelopes, notebooks, diyas/candles, cards, and more that have been made sustainably, with little or no plastic usage. Their product portfolio includes handcrafted stationery, home decor, gift,s and festive items.
Around occasions like Holi, Diwali, Christmas, New Year, etc., the organization launches festival-specific products to add a green touch to festive fervor.
Until recently, the women of Gulmeher have also started taking corporate training workshops with organizations like computer software company Adobe and the real estate giant DLF on sustainability.
“The idea (behind these workshops) is to teach them [employees] how to make paper bags, natural colors, etc. This is our team’s attempt to educate people about how to live a more sustainable lifestyle,” adds Kashyap.
The market for sustainable products has only grown more significantly over the last few years, and several organizations have hopped on the bandwagon to propagate the idea of green living. Kashyap calls this a good sign: “This change is good for the entire planet.“