Flipkart Foundation, the charitable arm of the Flipkart Group, in collaboration with the All India Artisans and Craftworkers Welfare Association (AIACA), has announced the second phase of its programme aimed at building sustainable, women-led textile collectives in West Bengal and Gujarat. With a focus on creating sustainable livelihoods and fostering green entrepreneurship, this collaboration seeks to strengthen the creative economy by enhancing market access and ensuring socio-economic upliftment for women artisans in select areas across the two states.

Building on the strong outcomes of Phase I in Birbhum, West Bengal, the initiative has now expanded to Banaskantha and Gandhinagar districts in Gujarat.  The programme will support the formation and growth of women-led artisan collectives through structured training, enterprise mentorship, and brand development. It will directly engage over 600 women artisans and benefit more than 3,000 individuals, including indirect beneficiaries. In West Bengal, the focus will be on scaling the market potential and long-term sustainability of an existing enterprise, while in Gujarat, two collectives will be supported through a comprehensive model encompassing skill-building, governance training, brand development & outreach, and linkages to finance and welfare schemes.

Commenting on the launch of Phase II, Sarah Gideon, Vice President - Corporate Affairs, Flipkart, said, “Our collaboration with AIACA is rooted in a shared commitment to fostering inclusive growth and sustainable livelihoods for women artisans. The success in West Bengal has demonstrated how targeted training, market integration, and sustainability-focused practices can transform local craft collectives. With the expansion into Gujarat, we are not only implementing a proven model, but also reaffirming our belief in the power of communities to lead change when given the right tools, resources and opportunities. This project is a step forward in building resilient, women-led businesses that can thrive in India’s growing creative economy.”

Meenu Chopra, Executive Director, All India Artisans and Craftworkers Welfare Association, added, “It has been a pleasure working with the Flipkart Foundation to support an artisan collective in West Bengal on its journey towards becoming a sustainable enterprise. The interventions were designed to ensure market-led growth of the enterprise, with socio-economic benefits accruing to the women artisans associated with it. Sustainable practices like zero-waste training were also undertaken to create a green value chain while sensitizing women artisans on the concept of environmental sustainability. The success of the West Bengal project has paved the way for implementing a similar initiative in Gujarat, reinforcing our commitment to replicating this model across artisan-based clusters/enterprises in India. We are thankful to Flipkart Foundation for being a valued partner in this journey of promoting sustainability of craft-based collectives and thereby empowering the women artisans associated with them.”

The project will strengthen the capacity of women-led artisanal collectives through a structured set of activities, including baseline and endline assessments, formal registration of new collectives and strengthening of the existing collectives, and continuous mentorship in enterprise management and governance. These artisans will undergo training in product design, embroidery, stitching, and quality control to meet evolving market demands. To support visibility and outreach, the programme will engage professional agencies for brand development and facilitate participation in exhibitions, as well as linkages to B2B and B2C platforms. A dedicated production fund will help collectives develop new product lines and build inventory for sales. The programme also focuses on enabling access to government schemes and financial services to secure long-term socio-economic support for artisans and their families.

Through this partnership, Flipkart Foundation and AIACA continue to champion community-driven development that bridges tradition with innovation.

About the Flipkart Group

The Flipkart Group is one of India’s leading digital commerce entities and includes group companies Flipkart, Myntra, Flipkart Wholesale, Cleartrip and super.money.

Established in 2007, Flipkart has enabled millions of sellers, merchants, and small businesses to participate in India's digital commerce revolution. With a registered user base of more than 500 million, Flipkart's marketplace offers over 150 million products across 80+ categories. Today, there are over 1.4 million sellers on the platform, including Shopsy sellers. With a focus on empowering and delighting every Indian by delivering value through technology and innovation, Flipkart has created thousands of jobs in the ecosystem while empowering generations of entrepreneurs and MSMEs. Flipkart has pioneered services such as Cash on Delivery, No Cost EMI, Easy Returns, and UPI. These customer-centric innovations focus on enhancing digital payment offerings for all customers while making online shopping more accessible and affordable for millions of Indians.

For more information, please write to media@flipkart.com

About AIACA

AIACA, established in 2004, is a Pan India Network of Craft based enterprises that promotes market-led growth in the crafts based enterprises, supporting over 150,000 artisans across 23 states, with 60% women. It ensures continuous growth and vibrancy of the Sector through an integrated approach that encompasses its Core Verticals namely Craftmark Certification, Enterprise Support Program and Advocacy. AIACA's strategy is to ensure Market readiness of the enterprises through strengthening of Governance Structures,  Capacity building, Product Development, Identity Creation and Certification and connect them to wider markets. Its livelihood Projects have impacted thousands of artisans directly in more than 10 States across India, fostering growth and socio-economic empowerment.