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FAIR DESIGN FOR PEOPLE AND PLANET
MAOMI x SRI LANKA
At MAOMI, sustainability is lived in many ways - we not only value economic and ecological sustainability, e.g. in the selection of production materials or the packaging in which the design pieces are delivered to you. Social sustainability is also of the utmost importance to us: people are always our focus, their health and dignity are respected and promoted. An example of lived social sustainability at a high level - in a country where this is not a given - is the partner factory in Sri Lanka. We produce our HOOKS, the Phone Home SLEEPING BEAR and the Stoneware ELEPHANT FEET together with our partner and thus support a company that looks after its employees like no other on the Asian continent.
Our partner factory Midaya was founded in 1968 by the father of the current managing director. Since then, the company has worked continuously to improve working conditions and the development of its employees. A key concern of the company is to expand the general knowledge of employees and give them an understanding of other cultures and religions. To promote this, Midaya organizes an annual quiz in which six teams compete against each other in various categories such as culinary, national flag and celebrity. At the same time, a painting competition is held for the employees' children, in which they paint porcelain. The painted plates are later fired and taken home by the children.
The company provides comprehensive support to employees' families, for example by covering the cost of school books. An annual outing with all employees, where a hotel is rented and various activities and competitions are organized, is another expression of the company's commitment to the well-being of its employees. Midaya offers a range of benefits to support employees. These include a health insurance fund that covers the cost of medication, free work clothes and a subsidized canteen. In case of personal or financial problems, the company stands by its employees and offers support. A company-owned charity shop allows employees to buy basic food items at discounted prices, with the cost deducted from their salary.
Midaya employees receive a salary well above the minimum wage, as well as annual wage increases that exceed inflation. The company also offers low-interest loans with an interest rate of 2%, which compares very favorably to the national interest rate of 13.5% (as of April 8, 2022). Working hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and overtime is paid. Midaya is proud that employees who stay with the company for more than six months usually spend their entire working lives there.
Midaya has never fired an employee, but has always tried to find a suitable position for everyone. However, about 50% of new employees leave the company in the first five months, which could be due to the less prestigious image of factory work in Sri Lanka. Our partner factory wants to position itself more as a design workshop in the future, as the company also runs its own design studio in addition to production. There, concepts and simple sketches from customers are turned into handmade unique pieces. Midaya works with earthenware, stoneware and porcelain and uses artisan techniques such as sculpture, glaze, colored porcelain and pen painting. In this way, the company creates unique works of art.
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