Artisans are key contributors to the fashion and homeware value chain. Companies rely heavily on them for intricate work: sewing, spinning, weaving, embroidering, block-printing, leatherwork, rug and carpet making, as well as other artisanal activities such as working in tanneries. Yet their impact is rarely acknowledged. Even luxury brands quietly rely on Indian artisans while showcasing European skills.
Neglecting artisans’ work creates a significant transparency gap for brands’ environmental impact reporting. And the absence of artisans in sustainability transition plans undermines claims to fairness. What kind of ‘just’ is fashion transitioning to if slow, self-employed, or home-based work isn’t considered?
The Artisan Craft Scorecard
The CRAFTED project aims to bridge this gap through a first-of-its-kind index covering fashion and homewares. By evaluating and ranking the public disclosure of 50 brands and retailers that use artisan textiles, our index will shed light on where transparency is lacking and what improvements can be made. Our research will be supported by interviews and ecomapping within artisan communities. The work is being carried out by Keele University and League of Artisans CIC.
Delivering Insights and Advancing a Sustainable Craft Sector
To launch the index, we will release an expert report on artisans' role in shaping the future of fashion and textiles, highlighting good practice and outlining challenges. The findings will focus on the critical gaps in acknowledging artisans’ environmental contributions, empowering stakeholders to drive policy and industry changes for a truly inclusive and sustainable fashion landscape.
Our Impact Goals
The project is funded by the UKRI Fashion and Textiles Circularity Programme through the Impact+ Network at Northumbria University.
The CRAFTED index aligns with IMPACT+ priorities, specifically aiming to foster:
- Transparent Pathways: Increasing openness across artisan supply chains.
- Equitable Partnerships: Enhancing respect and value for artisanal work.
- Beyond Lifecycle Analysis: Acknowledging the unique lifecycle and environmental impacts of artisan production.
- Circular Knowledge Systems: Integrating artisans’ insights into broader sustainability initiatives.
Meet the team
Dr Deirdre McKay
Professor of Sustainable Development, a social scientist with a BA in Biology and MA in Environmental Studies, she has expertise in both international development and environmental geography. Deirdre brings extensive experience of third sector collaboration, leading the Keele team and the knowledge exchange partnership with League of Artisans. She will identify and code of data for environmental and working conditions parameters, lead the MAMCA process, and integrate our multi-disciplinary data and cross-disciplinary learning. She will be lead author a team-wide article for Journal of Cleaner Production, documenting our index methodology, collaborative integration of data, and sharing findings.
Dr Ellie Harrison
Lecturer in Ecology, is an ecotoxicologist and expert in textile fibre pollution. Ellie does statistical analysis, mapping and data visualisation. In WPs 1 & 3, she will retrieve and assess indirect socio-environmental baseline data for key sites of artisanal work. She will analyse and document data quality assessment and trade-offs in our MAMCA. Her GIS skills will deliver spatial and visual integration of ESG data, indirect data, and data collected from artisan interviews and focus groups. Ellie will quality assure our indicators, contribute text and graphics to the report, and co-author the journal article.
Dr Samir Dani
Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management, is a leading expert in supply chain and logistics management, focussing on sustainability conformance risks in the fashion and food sectors. He studies blockchain technology and collaborates with the Swedish School of Textiles, University of Boras, and their Textile Value Chain Management group. In WPs 1 & 3, Samir will lead academic analysis of ESG statements, collaborate on MAMCA selection of indicators, and co-author the journal article. His work will place our approach here within wider academic debates on transparency indexes and blockchain in the fashion industry.
Carry Somers
Carry has an MA in Native American Studies, an honorary doctorate (Keele University), and is a 2023 Churchill Fellow. At Pachacuti, she piloted a 3-year EU Geo-traceability project. She gathered data and undertook Eco-mapping for a 70-indicator gap analysis of economic, social, and environmental impacts across the value chain. As Fashion Revolution’s Global Operations Director, she led methodology, brand selection, engagement, research, report-writing and press for Fashion Transparency Indexes 2016-2022, leveraging findings for industry change. Carry will manage LOA work, research 50 brands, deliver brand engagement, and coordinate report production and impact delivery.
Sol Marinucci
Textile designer, cultural manager, and curator. She promotes and coordinates collaborative practices and exchanges between craft and design practitioners. With a BA in Textile Design and a Masters in Anthropology of Art, she has roots in Latin America where she has worked with artisan communities for over 20 years. For the British Council’s program on Crafting Futures, she worked across Argentina and Asia. The resulting publication - Artisans' Voices: Dialogues for Sustainable Practices - was published with Fashion Revolution. For this project, she will build visual identities and communication, shape dissemination strategies, and ensure collaborative practices.
Dr Ritu Sethi
Editor, Global InCH journal of Living Heritage, oversees Asia InCH Encyclopaedia of arts, crafts, textiles, and its practitioners across South Asia. Publications include Embroidering Futures – Repurposing the Kantha, Designers Meet Artisans, and Handmade for the 21st Century – Safeguarding Traditional Indian Textiles. She serves on advisory boards on culture and sustainability in Japan, Sri Lanka and India and is founder-trustee, Craft Revival Trust. With on-the ground knowledge of artisanship in South Asia and links to communities, she leads our interviews with Indian artisans and advocacy organisations and the focus group with LOA’s Global Advisory Committee.
Robert Meeder (TIFC)
Senior Advisor to the EU Cultural Platform, specialising in Craft and Creative economy development. An accomplished fashion professional, adept at pioneering innovative solutions, his career spans over two decades in media, retail, luxury fashion, and cultural diplomacy. He launched the world’s first blockchain-integrated handloom textiles, exemplifying his commitment to strategic innovation. Robert fosters collaboration across disciplines, leveraging his diverse background to integrate cross-industry insights. Former roles as an Associate Chair and Professor complement his practical experience, empowering him to drive innovation within the fashion and textile value chain through forward-thinking strategies and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Heinz-Werner Engel
Senior Advisor and auditor in ethical, social, and environmental standards. His institutional capacity-building for developing agencies, EU external services, and international NGOs focuses on empowering small business in international supply chains. He has pioneered simple, powerful self-assessment tools to identify environmental issues and provide impact data. His self-learning tools – Eco-mapping and EMASeasy - are promoted by the EU and applied in artisan workshops in textile value chains world-wide. He is currently involved in adapting modern, transparent ESG reporting standards to small EU social economy business and to informal value chains in emerging economies.
sacha daly
Ethical fashion writer and activist. Through her work she advocates for an ethical fashion system that uplifts voices and empowers artisan communities in the value chain. Her background includes a degree in International Development at the University of Sussex, followed by an MA in Sustainable Fashion: Business and Practices from Kingston University. With experience working in rural Rajasthan with Saheli Women, an ethical fashion female social enterprise, Sacha has witnessed the transformative potential of a holistic fashion value chain that directly empowers women and drives sustainable community development. She aims to advocate for this in all aspects of her work.
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