Jul 5, 2018
In episode 121, Kestrel welcomes Rebecca van Bergen, the founder and executive director of Nest, to the show. A nonprofit that is building a new handworker economy, Nest is dedicated to generating global workforce inclusivity, improving women's wellbeing beyond factories, and preserving cultural traditions.
In this episode, Rebecca shares more on her journey, and how she originally came to the craft sector from a social work lens, with an interest in helping women around the world. Craft is the second largest employer of women in emerging markets, and for Rebecca - handmade needs to be more accessible to businesses and customers.
Additionally, Rebecca talks in more detail about how she believes that the lack of programming and investment in global craft is aligned with the fact that the majority of the sector is female-dominated.
Considering that 20-60% of current garment manufacturing leaves the 4 walls of the factory at some point today, Nest has helped build The Nest Standards for Homes and Small Workshops + Nest Seal of Ethical Handcraft. Rebecca breaks down in more detail what their standards look like and the ways in which they approach transparency and compliance.
At Nest, they not only help connect brands to their artisan partner network, they also connect aligned professionals with artisan partners, to offer them pro bono consulting on building their businesses.
The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat: