Toys, artisans and sustainable livelihoods with Arshad Khalid, Ethiqana Artwork

Make An Impact Podcast

Make An Impact Podcast is the podcast for you if you're a social entrepreneur or purpose led business owner, or desire to be one, and want to be inspired to make a bigger impact on people and the planet.Heidi Fisher MBE talks to social entrepreneurs who have set up all kinds of enterprises, and finds out more about how they are successfully running their social enterprises, and making a positive impact in the world.In the conversations you'll find out what they are doing so you can develop your social enterprise using their practical tips, why they do what they do, the impact their social enterprise has and how they measure their impact, and more.There's also exclusive interviews with Heidi where she shares her tips and knowledge around social enterprise and impact measurement.#socialenterprise #impactmeasurement

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Make An Impact Podcast

Toys, artisans and sustainable livelihoods with Arshad Khalid, Ethiqana

June 23, 2023 • Heidi Fisher • Season 6 • Episode 4

Here's a horrifying statistic: 80% of toys are thrown away within two weeks, and they're packed with plastics and chemicals which damage the environment.

Handmade wooden toys, so loved by so many, had been disappearing because of rapid industrialisation and the spread of cheap plastics.

Arshad Khalid is the founder and director of Ethiqana, a social enterprise which works with toy producers – 'artisan heroes' – to create employment in India and around the world.

Ethiqana's mission is to preserve traditional and, often, near-extinct art and craft forms – which are also sustainable and earth-friendly.

Arshad started Ethiqana after 21 years in the IT industry. He explains why – and what it means for Ethiqana to be part of the Ebay for Change programme (it was selected for the first cohort).

We learn more about how this 'accidental social entrepreneur' supports artisans to create sustainable livelihoods, how Ethiqana is bringing art-forms back to life, how it measures its impact and why we must look for products made from natural materials.

What next?

Visit the Ethiqana website https://ethiqana.com/ and find Ethiqana on Ebay for Change too https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/ethiqana
Do you need help with your Impact Measurement and Management? More about Heidi's work at https://www.makeanimpactcic.co.uk

Hi, I’m Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast. I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn’t become an additional burden.

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples’ lives.

You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you’d like to find out more about working with me.