WHY SMALL BATCH PRODUCTION IS THE MOST SUSTAINABLE APPROACH

Small batch often means handmade, as it does here at Obakki. Made by real people – and made with attention to detail. It’s producing items on a small-scale, resulting in limited quantities of each piece. These pieces take time and care to make.

Small Batch has Multiple Benefits

There are multiple benefits to small batch production, starting with what they aren’t. They are not mass-produced in some factory somewhere. And they are not made using questionable labour practices. Just the opposite, these pieces are labours of love. 

Small batch items are created by artisans using traditional skills and techniques. Small batch is sustainable and more eco-friendly because it doesn’t require assembly lines and large amounts of raw materials. There is very little waste involved. And small batch doesn’t require large amounts of electricity or water. Small batch means small footprint.

Quality and Authenticity

Then there is quality and authenticity. Our artisan partners take pride in what they do. They design their products with your use in mind. And you are buying from the person who created the product when you purchase small batch. You know who made your product. And you know the history behind their craft. If you have a question about your product, it can usually be answered, if not by us, then by the maker. We are in constant contact with our artisan partners. You have a connection to the artist and to their creation. 

Your small batch item will be of better quality than a mass-produced piece. Handmade products take time and thoughtfulness. The artisans care about the quality of their work and they use local materials. One of the huge problems with mass production is the unsustainable way they use up resources and materials. Small batch producers care about the materials they use and take care to create sustainable production cycles, working with nature instead of against nature. That’s why some items will be out of stock at specific times – nature dictates the small batch cycles for many of our artisan-partners who work with natural materials.

Small Batch Benefits Everyone

Small batch production also helps support local communities. Money made from handmade pieces goes back into the community. At Obakki, when we partner with an artisan (half of our artisanal relationships are partnerships), we first try to determine not only the artisans’ needs and goals, but that of the community they live in. Small batch benefits everyone.

Small batch also helps keep skills and traditions alive. Many Obakki partners learned their craft on the knees of their grandparents. Emerging markets and consumer interest in small batch purchasing will help preserve ancestral traditions and craftsmanship that might otherwise be lost forever. 

Generations of Knowledge

These handcrafted artisan pieces represent generations of knowledge and skill and a lifetime of love and commitment by the artist. Their designs respect the environment, and your purchase directly benefits the artisans who made them. And you enjoy a handmade object with a story to tell. We can’t think of a better reason to shop small batch. Can you?