Impact Measurement for Craft and Textile Enterprises

A person washing white fabric in a black tub filled with soap suds and water.
A person sitting on the ground weaving colorful threads into a traditional loom.

What We Offer:

Impact report based on social and environmental credentials using globally recognized frameworks:

SROI (Social Return on Investment): A recognised framework that quantifies the social, environmental, and economic value created by an initiative. Eg., for every ₹1 invested in a craft training program, ₹3 of social value (in income, well-being, and community resilience) is generated.

Textile Exchange’s Biodiversity Benchmark
(Until India evolves its own textile-biodiversity framework, this provides a credible reference.)

Map your enterprise’s biodiversity impact and dependencies—from soil and water health to species engagement and protection.

e.g., If you're a block printing enterprise: Water recycle/recharge | Impact of organic/regenerative cotton over Bt cotton

Check Double Materiality - Outward and Inward Impact

Link community participation and local livelihoods to positive social actions.

The lack of global best-practices and tools to measure and quantify creativity-led solutions makes it harder for HCMs to effectively articulate the impact of their
work.
— 200 Million Artisans. (2023). Business of Handmade., p. 49. *HCM - Handmade and Craft-led MSMEs
Infographic on artisan and supply chain development showing icons of a person, handshake, gear, and shield with a check mark. Includes bullet points about training, partnerships, and social return on investment.
A poster about biodiversity conservation, habitat preservation, and regeneration featuring a simple line drawing of a tree, grass, a butterfly, and a mountain.

Why Handmade Needs Hard Data

The Challenge

While there’s abundant anecdotal and qualitative evidence on the social and cultural benefits of craft-led value chains, there remains a critical lack of data-driven assessments and formal records of their environmental and social performance.

Our Methodology:

Draws on peer-reviewed industry reports, scientific literature and place-based research.

Maps outcomes to relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially those focused on poverty alleviation, gender equality, and decent work.

Social Return on Investment (SROI), Fair Wage Assessment, Social and Health Benefit, Indicators of Prosperity (as per UNEP S-LCA Guidelines, 2020)

Theory of Change Models: Used to map informal economy actors' inputs, activities, outputs, and long-term impacts.

Participatory Methods: Engaging communities in co-defining what 'value' means to them (e.g., well-being, safety, dignity).

Qualitative Indicators: Narratives, case studies, and community testimonials as evidence.

Hybrid Models: Combining qualitative methods with lightweight quantitative tools such as outcome mapping, Most Significant Change (MSC), and well-being indices.

Why Work With Us

LCA and Impact Measurement is done by a Harvard- and IIM-K certified professional, with a decade’s experience working with Indian craft enterprises and textile value chains - bringing a deep understanding of your materials, your methods, and your challenges.