The Nopo is truly a global community. From building our geographically and culturally diverse team, through selecting artisans on our platform, to choosing our international shipping partners, we stand by our values in everything that we do.
It’s crucial that every decision we make resonates positively with the world around us and that every payment we process is an investment back into the artisan communities we work with. Here are the practices we adhere to and the values we won’t stray from.
The Nopo artisans set the price they receive for their products—we provide support as needed to create fair pricing that reflects value. Costs and fees are always communicated transparently.
We assume the risk and shoulder the uncertainty for artisans with regards to international sales. This allows artisans to focus on their craft rather than spend valuable time working out international logistics and customer support. If an item is returned, artisans receive full compensation for the value they’ve created. The Nopo artisans can therefore reach an international market with trust and confidence.
We also carefully vet all artisans to ensure that their workers are receiving fair payment and enjoying a safe work environment.
The Nopo artisans incorporate centuries-old techniques with modern perspectives, playing an important role in preserving heritage and tradition in their countries. Many artisans work with and/or employ indigenous people in their communities in order to learn from their wealth of generational knowledge and carry forward traditional techniques.
Women are a huge driving force in the world of artisanry and design - over 90% of The Nopo artisans are women. Almost all of The Nopo artisans work to employ and empower women within their communities.
Making a purchase on The Nopo is a direct investment into the communities from which the products come. Our artisans often hire and collaborate within marginalized communities in peripheral areas of their home countries to help families generate long-term income and expose their craft to wider markets.
All products on The Nopo are handmade in small batches (many even made-to-order) with the utmost care and attention to detail. This production model minimizes excess inventory and waste by only using materials as needed. It’s also why many of our products have natural variation in their style, shape, and color.
The Nopo artisans focus on using recycled and/or sustainable materials to create eco-friendly products and promote mindful consumption. We are continuously impressed by the innovative practices that The Nopo artisans employ.
We don’t just rely on artisans to do important environmental work—we know that being an international e-commerce platform carries a huge weight of responsibility.
Our innovative supply chain model allows us to reduce our carbon footprint by eliminating excess packaging and unnecessary shipments. We consolidate packages at their country of origin, so fewer packaging materials have to travel across continents.
By 2023, we aim to use entirely recycled and/or compostable packaging in our international shipments.
