our ethics

Giving back

 

Creating beautiful jewelry isn’t enough for us. Yes, we want you to feel stunning when wearing our creations. But we also want to empower you to make buying decisions that have a positive impact on the planet and other living beings, so we encourage people to start questioning what goes on behind the scenes of the products they buy.

We put an enormous amount of energy into sourcing recycled, sustainable and low-impact materials, reducing our footprint to the lowest possible, giving back to local communities and treating our team like family with full benefits. The result is a product and a company that we are proud of and that makes hearts smile.

Below are a few areas we focus on at Ananda Soul.

 

 

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ETHICAL PRODUCTION

 

ETHICAL – We trace our production throughout every step of our supply chain, making sure that our creations are made consciously from start to finish. That applies to where we source our gemstones, our gold, silver and brass to the way the stonecutters, silversmith and our direct team members are treated and paid.

FAIR PAY – We guarantee that all the people involved in the production of our products are paid a fair wages and benefits for their skills and services. We feel blessed to be working with a team of amazing people and each team member feels like family.

RECYCLED – Producing in a sustainable way means that we do not take more than we give back to the environment. All our jewelry is made from certified green recycled silver or brass. There is enough silver and brass circulating on the planet and we find it unnecessary to encourage any further mining.

ECO-FRIENDLY – We attempt to keep our carbon footprint as minimal as possible. The silver and brass used in our jewelry is recycled with a green certificate, ensuring a clean waste process. Being based in Southeast Asia, we are more directly exposed to the results of pollution and toxic waste, feeling a powerful urgency to have a positive impact on the environment through the work we do.

VEGAN – all our products including our packaging are completely cruelty-free. Everything available in our shop has been created without any use of animal products or byproducts.

 

 

 

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GIVING BACK

 

GIVING BACK – Our future lies in the children and in the women who birth them - hence we are committed to creating a brand that supports the women and children in the community where we produce and create our products.

For the past seven years, we have been working with mothers of street children in Bali. By employing these mothers we help interrupt the cycle of poverty. In addition, a portion of each order goes towards sponsoring the tuition of an underprivileged child in the North of Bali.

WITH LOVE – All our jewelry is charged with prayers for peace in your life and in the world. Some pieces carry special symbolism and engraving. Our gemstones have been cleansed and blessed with Balinese prayers.

 

CHANGING LIVES

As you probably know, one of the foundations of Ananda Soul is to empower underprivileged families in Bali. One way to do so is by hiring mothers of street children to make our Soul Purpose collection, enabling them to stop taking their children on the streets to beg, but instead, giving their children the opportunity to attend school.

We have also teamed up with a wonderful organisation in Bali and are sponsoring the education of children who otherwise would not be able to attend school.

We started the sponsorships one year ago and have recently completed tuition payments for 10-year-old girl Ni Misi. Ni Misi comes from a very poor family in the North of Bali who was not able to afford any formal education. With our help, Ni Misi is now set up with school supplies, daily lunch and a full tuition all the way through to grade 12. Her favorite subject in school is math, she loves to ride a bike and dreams of one day becoming a doctor - a dream that could become reality thanks to your support.

We have since begun with the sponsorship of a little boy, Gede Eka who is one of five siblings and is now able to start school this fall.

We feel honored to continue on this path of making a little difference that changes the lives of these children in enormous ways.  And we would be able to do this without you, our customers - so thank you for making a difference in the world by supporting slow fashion!

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HOW IT ALL BEGAN

 

 

Ananda Soul is the lovechild of Christina Zipperlen, who never in her wildest dreams thought she’d find herself in the role of a business owner but rather in her familiar roles of a designer, artist, writer and yogi. She grew up in Germany, and was raised with a good dose of questioning the status quo and the “truths” we are faced with. Her mother’s passing when she was 18 inspired her to travel the world and after years in Hawaii, Spain, and Australia, she has settled in Bali, where she lives with her partner and their dog, Hero.

Her focus is to share her own encounters with spirituality, the deeper meaning of life and overcoming body image issues with other women. In 2008, Ananda Soul was born as the result of her expression of those values in form of wearable art. Christina’s biggest passions are running this company in the most ethical ways, writing, dancing, and celebrating life. Her mission is to remind women of their innate beauty, shift negative ideas around body image, and to help inspire conscious consumerism through sustainable fashion.

May you feel the blessings and intentions when wearing her designs, while feeling at peace about your impact on the planet and the people who made the items you purchase from us.

If you wish to hear and read more about our story, inspirations and current projects, visit our journal entries.