Focused on “UN SDG 1 - No poverty” and “UN SDG 5 - Gender Equality”, our community work focuses on alleviating systemic poverty by creating a sustainable ecosystem for women weavers. By giving women the opportunity to weave, we work to prevent their outward migration and improve their financial stability. We also offer ground level funding support to our communities in wake of disasters so that they can rebuild their lives and livelihoods. Latest being, our efforts post Cyclone Seroja in April 2021.

We consider the weavers to be our partners rather than vendors or suppliers. We are striving towards financial and social sustainability of our communities by exploring additional sources of income, so that in the future they are no longer reliant only on TORAJAMELO for the sustenance. Our goal is to ensure these women in marginalised communities are key drivers in their own and their communities’ economic and overall development.

Under the aegis of our initiative of “cultural sustainability” of indigenous communities, we work with +1200 weavers across different age groups so that indigenous heritage of handwoven textiles/tenun crafted on backstrap loom is preserved, rejuvenated, and passed on from one generation to the next. Till date, TORAJAMELO has preserved 27 indigenous motifs and revived 4.

We are committed to preserving the tradition of backstrap loom weaving so that it is carried on through generations. With over 1000 ethnic groups in Indonesia, we would like to attract local and global attention to the diversity of heritage handwoven/tenun motifs across the archipelago.

TORAJAMELO is continuously improving its sustainable practices by sourcing natural materials, reducing waste, working with local suppliers, and heading towards developing a local circular economy. We are currently investigating our end-to-end supply chain in order to identify areas where we can act more responsibly, build transparency, and achieve 100% product traceability.

With UN SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production and UN SDG - Climate Action as focal points, our goal is to set a sustainability standard for fashion brands and social enterprises globally, starting with Indonesia. We are striving to exemplify the importance of circular practices in industry and show that operating as a sustainable business should be the norm.