We celebrated International Women’s Day 2022 in partnership with the Nest Ethical Handcraft™ Program to showcase the work of the more than 3,600 global artisans who produce over 400 ethically handcrafted products for the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. family of brands.

Since 2014, we worked with Nest to develop an industry-recognized set of compliance standards for home-based craft production – a fundamental source of employment for women around the world. Our combined efforts with Nest resulted in establishing the Nest Seal of Ethical Handcraft™ which now plays a pivotal role in protecting the rights and privileges of women artisans around the world. To date, the program has impacted tens of thousands of handworkers, the majority of whom are women, across 25 countries.

“We are proud to partner and invest in organizations that positively impact and prioritize the wellbeing of our workers. These partnerships create resilience in our supply chain and opportunities for our customers to support and celebrate artisan craft communities around the world.”

Laura Alber, President and Chief Executive Officer of Williams-Sonoma, Inc.
A potter refines the finishing touches on his piece of art. Using this “resist” technique, any areas which are covered with the liquid clay will eventually be scraped off, maintaining the white color below, while the rest of the vase will become black during the final firing process. Image: Nest

Nest’s Ethical Handcraft program offers a first-of-its-kind means for assessing ethical production outside of traditional factories where production standards end. Using the Nest Ethical Compliance Standards for Homes and Small Workshops, which have been recognized by the UN as meaningful metrics for evaluating home-based craft production, Nest supports participating vendors in determining how workers’ interests and rights are being observed throughout their supply chains. This set of 100+ standards expands upon the minimum benchmarks set by the International Labor Organization to prioritize workers’ wellbeing.

After successfully completing evaluation and remediation, artisan businesses qualify as Nest Ethically Handcraft and are awarded the Nest Seal, a visible token of their commitment to creating safe and fair working conditions throughout the far reaches of their supply chains.

As part of our longstanding commitment to supporting global craft traditions, we set a goal to purchase $50M Nest Ethical Handcraft™ products by 2025. The commitment is part of our goal to have 75% of all Williams-Sonoma, Inc. products meet one or more of the company’s social and environmental initiatives by 2030 – a commitment that represents $1B in product purchases annually.

“For centuries, women around the world have engaged in craft from their homes showing an unwavering commitment to preserving their important cultural traditions. Our data shows that 80% of female Nest workers use their fair wage income for their children’s education. We’ve also learned that 86% of the women in our program would encourage their children to continue their craft, showing the integral role participation in Nest programs can play in community development and the preservation of cultural heritage.”

Rebecca van Bergen, Founder of Nest
Shop the Nest Seal of Ethical Handcraft across our brands

For more information about how Williams-Sonoma, Inc.’s family of brands is celebrating International Women’s Day in partnership with Nest, please visit:

Williams Sonoma – www.williams-sonoma.com/iwd
Pottery Barn – www.potterybarn.com/nest
Pottery Barn Kids – www.potterybarnkids.com/nest
Pottery Barn Teen – www.pbteen.com/nest
Mark & Graham – www.markandgraham.com/iwd
West Elm – www.westelm.com/IWD