Akola
Our Rating: 4 Stars - Good
Price: $ $ $ $
Country of origin: United States
Official brand website: Visit
Introduction
Akola is a brand that has made significant strides in the sustainable fashion industry. With an environment rating of ‘it’s a start’, they have taken steps to use eco-friendly materials, including recycled materials. By making their products by hand, they are minimizing their climate impact. However, there is no evidence that they have taken meaningful action to reduce or eliminate hazardous chemicals.
Labor Practices
Akola’s labor rating is ‘good’, and they are committed to empowering workers in Uganda. One of the ways they do this is by ensuring payment of a living wage in the final stage of production. This ensures that their workers can support themselves and their families with dignity. Additionally, Akola traces most of its supply chain, ensuring transparency and accountability.
Animal Welfare
Akola’s animal rating is also ‘good’. They are a brand that does not use fur, leather, wool, down, exotic animal skin, or exotic animal hair in their products. However, they do use bone and horn, which raises some concerns among animal rights activists. While bone and horn can be obtained ethically, there is a need for more transparency in this area to ensure that animals are not being harmed or exploited.
Overall Rating
With a ‘good’ rating overall, Akola has made commendable efforts to prioritize sustainability in their brand. They have taken steps to use eco-friendly materials and make their products by hand, which reduces their climate impact. Their commitment to empowering workers in Uganda and ensuring payment of a living wage shows their dedication to fair labor practices. While their animal rating is also ‘good’, there is room for improvement in terms of transparency around the sourcing of bone and horn.
Akola’s Sustainability Journey
Akola’s journey towards sustainability started with a vision to create a brand that not only produces beautiful accessories but also makes a positive impact on the environment and communities. They recognized the need to reduce their carbon footprint and minimize the use of harmful materials.
One of the ways Akola has achieved this is by using eco-friendly materials, including recycled materials. This reduces the demand for new resources and helps in preserving the environment. By making their products by hand, Akola is also able to reduce their climate impact. Handmade products consume less energy and produce less waste compared to mass-produced items.
However, while Akola has taken steps to reduce their environmental impact, there is room for improvement when it comes to hazardous chemicals. There is currently no evidence to suggest that they have taken meaningful action to eliminate or reduce the use of hazardous chemicals in their products. This is an area where Akola can further enhance their sustainability practices.
Empowering Workers
Akola understands the importance of empowering workers and ensuring fair labor practices. They have made commendable efforts to provide fair wages and working conditions for their employees, particularly in Uganda where they operate.
One of their significant initiatives is ensuring the payment of a living wage in the final stage of production. This guarantees that their workers can support themselves and their families with dignity, promoting economic empowerment and better livelihoods.
Akola is also committed to traceability in their supply chain, which is crucial in ensuring transparency and accountability. By tracing most of their supply chain, they can identify any potential issues and work towards resolving them. This commitment to transparency is a commendable step towards fair and ethical labor practices.
Animal-Friendly Practices
Akola has made conscious decisions to avoid using certain animal products in their accessories. They do not use fur, leather, wool, down, exotic animal skin, or exotic animal hair, which aligns with their commitment to animal welfare.
However, the brand does make use of bone and horn in some of their products. While there are ethical ways to source these materials, it is essential for Akola to provide more transparency about their sourcing practices. Animal rights activists raise concerns about the potential harm or exploitation of animals involved in obtaining bone and horn. By providing more information, Akola can address these concerns and further strengthen their commitment to animal-friendly practices.
Conclusion
Akola’s commitment to sustainability is evident through their efforts in using eco-friendly materials, reducing their climate impact through handmade products, and empowering workers in Uganda. While there is room for improvement in terms of hazardous chemicals and transparency around the sourcing of bone and horn, Akola has an overall ‘good’ rating when it comes to sustainability. As they continue on their sustainable journey, addressing these areas of improvement will further solidify Akola as a leading brand in the sustainable fashion industry.
