Meeting with BKS Textile in Tiruppur

Weaving loom

Audit

First Aid Centre in the B.K.S Campus

An evacuation plan in the workshop

Ear Plug must for all!

On 24 afternoon, Fair Trade Forum-India had an appointment with General Manager of B.K.S, Mr. Viswalingam in order to discuss on the project "Fair Trade Supply Chain" and asked if we wanted to be a part of the meeting. They have also informed B.K.S about our plans to buy organic fabric and meet with different suppliers. It was too good an opportunity to miss and ignore.

Emergency exit in the workshop

B.K.S is certified with ISO 9001-2000 for quality assu
rance, ISO 14001 for environmental safety assurance, SA 8000 for social compliance, GOTS for organic and FLO-CERT. They are also in the process of becoming a member of the national fair trade organization - FTF-I. Mr. Viswalingam mentioned that the application of the fair trade standards will broaden their areas (business) and so they are willing to focus on fair trade. Their website is www. bkstex.in.

IM and FTF-I Staff 

Weaving unit:  They have their own weaving unit equipped with the latest technologies and efficient management by the
 workers. They have no dyeing unit but planning to introduce if they found any dyers in the fair trade network. They are presently doing dyeing for products and exporters that are non-certified. Staff of FTF-I has agreed to provide them information on dyeing unit in the fair trade network.

Tea outside the weaving hall 

Working conditions: As they have to do social audits, employees are asked to wear face mask, ear plugs and uniform in all the workshops- weaving, tailoring and quality checking. As it is obvious in pictures, they have displayed all the necessary information as part of their social responsibility - the evacuation plan, first-aid centre, tea machine and emergency exit.

Women in the weaving quality section

Quality Department: We have seen more female in the Trimming and quality checking department in all the three different sections - weaving, tailoring and finished products. More number of males are found working on the power-loom machines in the warp and weaving section.
They are also doing coating/lamination on different fabric. We have been using coated canvas for the past few years for shopping bags and now looking for option in organic and fair trade cotton. They asked for a sample of our bag and will see if they can provide us the same in organic or fair trade cotton.

Women in the tailoring quality section

The staff of Fair Trade Forum-India wanted to know the minimum order that can be placed by other fair trade members. Mr. Viswalingam, the GM told all of us that B.K.S can provide any fair trade members with even 100 metre if the fabric is weaved regularly on their loom.


We hope to connect with them in the future and on a regular basis, if we achieve what we were looking for.

Tsering Youdon
Fair Trade Coordinator