GAN contributes to the Global Sustainable Development Goals in a socially empathic and artisanal way.
GAN, heiress of the original textile business of Gandia Blasco Group, consolidates its strategy of social and environmental sustainability by putting people, environment and craftsmanship at the center of its activity and its collaborations with the finest contemporary designers.
Since its inception, GAN has maintained a firm commitment to being a sustainable brand: through the manufacture of its products, the promotion of artisanal techniques, the preference for natural materials, and its social project GAN Women Unit. But beyond processes and materials, GAN’s own creations are a tribute to living in more environmentally responsible spaces: its rugs are highly durable, which favors responsible consumption; they are excellent insulators, which helps to reduce energy consumption and acoustic pollution; and they provide a safe, comfortable and nonslip- surface.
GAN’s implies a continuous search for solutions that combine sustainability and design, something that is perfectly aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promoted by the United Nations as a model for growth.
SDG5: GENDER EQUALITY
Equity is part of the company’s philosophy and, because its team is made up of mostly women, it constitutes its natural way of doing. GAN also collaborates with female designers, both emerging and internationally renowned, working their highlight its unique creations and perspective, as well as their valuable contributions to the design industry.
On the other hand, many of GAN’s designs are already being developed with the help of the GAN Women Unit, a project active since 2010 that involves women in rural India. The initiative proposes that through the promotion of their artisanal skills, which are adapted to contemporary design products, these women are able to gain personal autonomy and economic independence.
SDG8: DIGNIFIED WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
The artisanal manufacture of GAN’s collections supports the economic development of the area where its products are made. Its creations make craftsmanship evolve by recovering and protecting ancestral techniques in the context of contemporary design. In this way, craftsmanship is renewed, and with it, the skills of the people who make it possible are revalued.
The commitment to the empowerment of its artisan community took shape during the development of the BANDAS collection, by Patricia Urquiola. After learning that a group of women had lost their jobs because of the shutdown of a local workshop, Mapi Millet, creative director of GAN, thought it was the perfect opportunity to make a new positive impact in the area. On top of that, it would also involve women. Millet proposed to Urquiola that these women work on her new collection for GAN and she accepted enthusiastically.
Initial progress was slow, as their skills had to be adapted to a new scale of production and work processes had to be developed. However, what started with a small group of women has now become a community of more than 30 participants and many designers are collaborating with GAN and want their designs to be part of this initiative.
In the context of the recent pandemic crisis, which impacted India severely, GAN and its suppliers took all possible and necessary measures to keep their teams safe. During this time, GAN provided protective equipment and never canceled any purchase orders, in addition to making delivery times more flexible, aware of the difficult situation at both a logistical and social level.
SDG12: RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
GAN production is handmade and does neither require machinery nor contribute to generating emissions. Furthermore, the brand is committed to reducing the use of chemical dyes and detergents, to protect the environment of its production area. Over the years, by following these methods, GAN has established a production system that not only preserves traditions but also, revalues craftsmanship, so that craft practice evolves and design broadens its scope.
On the other hand, collections such as PLASTIC RIVERS, by Álvaro Catalán de Ocón, DIAMOND, by Charlotte Lancelot, and GARDEN LAYERS, by Patricia Urquiola, are made entirely with recycled PET. These plastic fibers undergo a thorough treatment and conditioning process to extend their useful life (upcycling). In this way, GAN prevents waste from polluting the oceans and turns plastic into pieces of contemporary design that are easy to clean and maintain. Another example is NUANCES, also by Urquiola, which reuses wool scraps from other productions to transform them into an innovative-looking felt.
GAN’s creations arise from respect and empathy towards the community of craftspeople who produce them, and they are designed with the aim of reducing their ecological footprint, of generating a positive impact on society, and to provide comfort and warmth to people and to the spaces they inhabit.
