Contemporary jewellery handmade from discarded materials and sterling silver
Beaucoco was established in 2007 to design and sell contemporary ethical jewellery made from discarded materials and handmade by disadvantaged groups around the world. We have two groups that we work with at present producing two very different styles of jewellery.
1. Coconut Jewellery: The coconut jewellery is made on the remote tropical island of Rodrigues, 650km east of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The jewellery is made by a group of disabled creoles who work in a not-for-profit organisation founded nearly 20 years ago by resident Englishman Paul Draper, MBE. The island of Rodrigues suffers from very high unemployment and this organisation offers security to people who have very few other opportunities. The organisation also runs a small school for the disabled children on the same site. Coconut was chosen as the material for the handicraft as this is one of the few resources available in excess on the island. Beaucoco has added sterling silver and semi precious stones to create an exclusive range of jewellery that reflects the natural habitat of this beautiful island.
Making Earrings, Rodrigues, Indian Ocean
You can find out more about the producer group and make donations by visiting www.gplslc.free.fr
2: Recycled Plastic Jewellery: The recycled plastic jewellery and bags are made by an NGO based in the slum belt around Delhi. The organisation works with "ragpickers", the poorest women, who earn money from scavenging the city dumps for things that can be resold. These women have been organised to collect old plastic carrier bags and they receive a premium for unusual and bright coloured varieties. The women wash and stitch these bags into patterns, which are heat processed to form a sheet of handmade recycled plastic. The women then make fashion bags from the material and the organisation has enjoyed a good deal of success with this production. By adding some recycled buttons and a little sterling silver, Beaucoco has designed a fun range of jewellery that can be produced from the off cuts of the bag production.
Making handmade recycled plastic, Delhi India
Beaucoco is committed to trading ethically in the following ways:
We only work with poor and marginalized producer groups, helping them develop skills and sustainable livelihoods through trading relationships.
We pay fair prices that cover the full cost of production and enable a living wage and other fair rewards to be earned by producers.
We pay a portion, or the full value, of the order in advance when needed to assist the groups with production costs.
We only work with groups that can ensure the fair treatment of all workers, ensuring good conditions in the workplace and throughout the supply chain.
We aim to build up long-term relationships, rather than looking for short-term commercial advantage.
We support environmental awareness by designing jewellery using discarded materials as the key component.
All our packaging materials are natural and recycled or recyclable.
Should you wish to be kept informed about Beaucoco jewellery you can leave your details at jewels@beaucoco.co.uk