Bead Sourcing

Mutual aid & environmental impact considerations when sourcing for Illegible

All beads featured in the current collection are either upcycled and second-hand, or sourced from Happy Mango Beads. For transparency, I have included an overview of Happy Mango's mutual aid practices in their sourcing, and their environmental impact. All of the following is available on their website.

Happy Mango Beads on Fair Trade & Mutual Aid

"We regularly receive inquires as to whether Happy Mango Beads is a fair trade organization. We feel it's important to let you know our view regarding fair trade and explain some of the ways in which Happy Mango Beads strives to help improve the lives of the people we do business with and those we encounter during our travels. Because we personally import nearly all of our beads, we are able to interact with people of many different cultures. Most of these people live in countries which are relatively poor and have no welfare system in place. The production and sales of handcrafted items, including beads, is often the only means these people have of providing food and housing for their families. Happy Mango Beads is a fair trade company in every sense of the word. Do we belong to a fair trade organization? Absolutely not! We choose not to be affiliated with any organization. We realize that in most cases their intentions are good and they may benefit the people in developing countries, but unfortunately there are many administrative costs involved and they are unable to fully monitor the business dealings of their members, which at times can lead to misrepresentation. We do not intend to insult or degrade any fair trade organization, this is only our view based on what we have experienced.

How do we practice fair trade? We pride ourselves in conducting business in a manner that is beneficial to all involved. This means paying a fair price for the beads we buy and purchasing from many different co-ops, vendors and craftspeople. By providing a market for the wonderful beads of the artisans of the world we are able to help enhance their lives both financially and creatively. This allows them to house, feed and clothe their families, something they might not otherwise be able to do.
Over the years we have been personally involved in bettering the living conditions and lifestyles of many families in developing countries. Having traveled extensively and been involved in the import business for more than 20 years we have watched children grow into adults and have children of their own.

We never travel without 100-150lbs of donated used clothing, shoes and backpacks, plus school supplies and other useful items. Donations are always welcome and can be sent to:

Happy Mango - Donations
PO Box 64
321 Mountain Avenue
Berthoud, CO 80513

Though this is only a brief explanation, we feel it is important that our customers understand our position in regard to fair trade.

Happy Mango Beads on the Environment

"Our efforts to go green begin with the beads we sell. All of our recycled glass and sandcast beads from Africa and Indonesia are crafted using old, discarded and broken glass such as bottles, windshields, mirrors, etc. Most of the metal beads we offer are made from used materials as well, for example the recycled aluminum cube beads from Ethiopia were crafted by melting down old aluminum silverware. Also many of our brass beads from Ghana are made from old keys.

In addition to beads made from recycled materials we also offer beads made from environmentally friendly, sustainable resources. Some examples of these beads are: seed and nut, wood, bone, clay and several others. Our Indonesian wood beads are made from fast-growing trees which are farmed, not only to help the environment, but for commercial purposes as well, making them very environmentally friendly. We guarantee that none of our Indonesian wood beads come from endangered rainforests in the region.

...

Our commitment to being environmentally friendly extends beyond the beads we sell; it's reflected in nearly all aspects of our business. Our packing paper is 100% recycled and recyclable. Around the warehouse we are continually instituting new policies to become more and more green. For example we recycle all cardboard, paper, glass and plastic. We keep our thermostat at a consistent 68 degrees and we embrace the natural light from our large windows. We use environmentally friendly cleaning and lavatory products."