“And think of every living thing without exception: the weak and the strong, from the smallest to the largest, whether you can see them or not, lving nearby or far away, beings living now or yet t i o arise – may all beings become happy in their heart of hearts!” Taken from the Metta Sutta, The Scripture of Lovingkindness
From a market stall to a retail business with an annual turnover of £9 million, Windhorse Trading has an impeccable track record in faith-driven sustainable business.
Featured for five years running in The Independent’s league table of fastest growing UK companies, Windhorse Trading is a wholesale and retail gifts company, sourcing craft products such as textiles, photo frames, handmade books, wood carvings and ornaments mainly from poorer countries in the East.
Buddhism is central to the business, and guides everything from relationships with suppliers and employees to how to spend the profit, as staff member Ratnaprabha explains.
“The business is owned by Windhorse Trust, whose trustees are ordained Buddhists, and they had two main aims in establishing Windhorse Trading: to raise money for Buddhist projects and to create a workplace supportive of our staff’s Buddhist practice. The primary virtue in Buddhism is Dana, meaning ‘generosity’.
Most of our employees are on a ‘support package’ rather than a salary, living together and effectively working for what they need and giving away the rest. Of last year’s £9 million turnover, £0.4 million was given away in donations, mostly to Buddhist projects but also to education and welfare initiatives in makers’ communities.
Our decision to focus on selling gifts is another expression of Dana, we are encouraging our customers in their own generous impulses by offering beautiful things for them to give.”
Of around 200 employees in the warehouse and shops, at least 150 are professed Buddhists, and one of Ratnaprabha’s roles is to support the shop teams in their Buddhist spiritual practice.
Through discussion meetings, text readings, meditating together and sharing devotional practice around the staffroom shrines, staff are encouraged to put their principles into practice at work as they undertake even the most mundane tasks.
But Ratnaprabha acknowledges it has not always been easy. “Our rapid growth meant that people worked too hard and forgot their own needs, but I think that’s common in most highly idealistic businesses.
We deliberately stopped growing and consolidated our position, to create more space for personal practice.”
And it’s not just the staff who benefit from this faith-based approach to business. Fairness is another Buddhist precept, ensuring the business pays its bills on time, makes honest statements in its marketing, treats its suppliers ethically and is open about the challenges of monitoring its complex crafts supply chain to ensure trade is fair.
Care for the living world is also a key tenet, and the business recycles packaging materials, uses green energy, transports stock by sea not air, and is investigating eco-fuel for its van fleet.
Despite ‘ticking all the boxes’ of sustainable development, Ratnaprabha admits that “our message is low profile, we don’t say ‘Buddhist shops’ or even ‘Fairtrade shops’.
We don’t make a fuss about our approach, but customers often comment on the special atmosphere and the personal level of service. We don’t have a proselytising aim, although it’s nice when people are drawn to join our teams to practice spiritually with others.”
With its impressive economic performance, proactive environmental position and loving care for its staff, suppliers and customers, Windhorse Trading shows how faith can create a truly sustainable business.
Source : http://www.sd-commission.org.uk
