Gallery Efforts
- Craft Traditions
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiatives
- Green Imperative Fund
- Community Project Highlights
- Craft Traditions
- Conservation of indigenous arts and culture has been the work of Banyan Tree Gallery and its affiliate Gallery outlets from the onset.These ongoing efforts were recognised by the PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) Gold Award for Heritage (2003) and the PATA Grand Award for Heritage (2004) presented to the Museum Shop by Banyan Tree.
The pulse radiating from Lijiang resonates a symphony full of soul, peace and ethnic harmony. To the north of this beautiful city arises the majestic Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, a sacred sanctuary which has protected the ethnic minorities and their unique cultures since ancient times. Another splendor is the Old Town of Lijiang, regarded as the Venice of the Orient because of the many bridges and canals that lace through the maze of cobbled streets. This historic town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 for its multi-ethnic charm, historical milieu and architectural landscape. Banyan Tree Lijiang's luxurious villas reflect the rich fabric of this locale through their design and furnishings.
For souvenirs, visit the inimitable Banyan Tree Gallery and bring home exclusive handicrafts each traditional memento has a story to tell about the misty hamlet of Lijiang. At the same time direct sharing with these artisans on market trends and exploration of new craft skills during various product sourcing trips and a craft workshop have rendered innovative fusion crafts. One of the most remarkable products was a line of Thai Mooser bamboo baskets created in Eskimo-weaving style.
On the store front, literature and product write-ups reveal the source and origin of these masterpieces, and information on artisans' groups, so as to shape customers' appreciation of the support they are giving to these villagers via their purchases. - Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiatives
- Banyan Tree Gallery's business philosophy is aimed toward embracing the environment and empowering the people.
Some of the CSR initiatives include:
Sustaining Village
Development Via its global network, Banyan Tree Gallery provides a marketing channel for cottage crafts found in various parts of Asia. By generating market demand and interest in traditional crafts, it has helped to conserve the unique cultural heritage of the artisans while sustaining their livelihoods through gainful employment. The commissioning of triangular “Maun” cushions from Thailand in 1989 has since spawned into an international retail establishment that supports various cottage crafts such as hilltribe cross-stitch crafts, Khmer silk pouches, Burmese lacquer and traditional Thai weaving.
Creating Green Awareness
Banyan Tree Gallery is continuously using eco-friendly and recycled materials for its merchandise from photo frames made using discarded telephone directories, elephant dung paper stationary to lead-free celadon and ceramic spa amenities. In line with the Banyan Tree Group’s Green Imperative initiative, unique collections are continuously created to promote environmental consciousness. These include:
• Leaf-inspired merchandise to promote nature conservation
• “Save the Corals” apparel series to promote endangered corals in the Maldives
• Assorted turtle collections to promote awareness of the endangered Green Sea Turtles
These products are accompanied by a write-up that includes consumer education literature on the targeted conservation campaign. In addition, the galleries do not carry products made from shell or ivory in support of animal rights. Use of ozone-unfriendly products like plastic is also minimised.
Promoting Cultural Heritage
Affiliate brand Museum Shop By Banyan Tree creates a platform for showcasing Singapore’s, as well as Asia’s, rich cultural legacy. Examples of ethnic crafts that are being retailed at the shops include Vietnamese celadon vases, Burmese silver accessories, and Chinese camphor woodcarvings. In addition to quality museum replicas, museum-inspired merchandise – like famille rose plates, Peranakan porcelain ware and Old Singapore stationary – also help make history more accessible to the general public. - Green Imperative Fund
- Much like the overarching Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts, the Banyan Tree Gallery makes a concerted effort to uphold the environment and its precious resources.For a start, the sand-filled turtles - mascots of the Green Imperative Fund in the Banyan Tree and Angsana hotels are produced by the Gallery. Banyan Tree Gallery's product development and purchasing policy also ensures that ozone-harming products such as plastics are eliminated from the shelves as far as possible, even in product packaging. No shell or ivory products are carried in our support for animal rights. Natural, indigenous and recyclable materials are utilised in creative means to churn out eco-friendly products.
Earth Day (April 22nd) is celebrated every year at Banyan Tree Gallery, helping spread the love of our environment and its conservation to all our friends and guests.
Overview
In 2001, Banyan Tree set up the Green Imperative Fund (GIF) to continue formalising its corporate social responsibility efforts. The GIF aims to widen the reach and effectiveness of the company's efforts by providing critical financial support to worthy environmental action and community based projects where Banyan Tree has a presence.
Since 2009, Banyan Tree Gallery contributes up to 5% of total sales generated from our annual Earth Day collection in participating outlets to the Green Imperative Fund. - Community Project Highlights
- Embarking on projects to uplift the various communities in the locations Banyan Tree resorts are situated, Banyan Tree Gallery has a wide network of village producers and project partners around the region. In the course of Banyan Tree Gallery's operations, the community outreach has extended from across Thailand to Laos, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. All around Asia, ethnic crafts and traditions are being eroded by the increasing mechanization and industralization. Through the support of time-honored craft skills - be they in various forms like basketry, fabric weaving, embroidery, paper craft, silver craft, woodwork, stone carving and pottery, Banyan Tree Gallery has helped keep alive the customs of these communities, allowing entire families of women and children particularly, to live, work and play together. Since inception, Banyan Tree Gallery has worked with over 40 different village cooperatives, non-profit craft marketing & community groups from all over Asia. Examples include female Iban villages in Sarawak, Thailand's "One Tambon One Products" movement, Cambodian Handicraft Association for Landmine & Polio, and Society for the Physically Disabled in the Singapore. Highlights of some community outreach projects include:
Maun Triangular Cushions
This was the project that shaped the ethos and formation of Banyan Tree Gallery. The Yasothorn community in North Thailand was contracted to produce 500 sets of 'œmaun' or triangular-shaped cushions for the interiors of the resorts in Laguna Phuket in 1989. Proceeds from the sale were distributed to the village women artisans, with the leftover funds channelled to support the Santitham Vidhayakhom School.
Hilltribe Bamboo Baskets
Durable, easily replenishable and environmentally sustainable, bamboo plants have provided the Mooser Hilltribe Women's Cooperative in North Thailand with one of the most promising solutions to continuing basketry crafts without damaging the environment. Regular orders of these beautifully woven bamboo baskets from clients like Banyan Tree Gallery have allowed this cooperative of 50 hilltribe dwellers to keep families together in one roof, while improving rural income.
Pandanus Home Accessories
In collaboration with Caston, a support group for Indonesian village women, Banyan Tree Gallery has helped design craft pieces that harness the local produce. Through these unique-folding jewelry boxes, tissue boxes and placemats woven from the fragrant local pandan (screwpine) leaves, women artisans are provided with regular income and a sense of independence. Mudmee Silk Shawls The time-consuming tie-dying and weaving process of 'mudmee' (traditional Thai ikat shawls) is a vanishing skill perfected by few, such as the resilient Nongtakai village weavers living near the Cambodian border. Through the ongoing support of Banyan Tree Gallery, Nongtakai weavers have been able to offer their beautiful silk throws to a wider international market that helps to sustain their livelihoods.
Mini Costume Potpourri
Fascinated by the beautiful cotton textiles of India, Banyan Tree Gallery supports the women of the Salangaon Village Women's Society who transform ethnic Indian costumes into miniature form, infused with Banyan Tree's signature aromatic blends, to create a delightful potpourri sachet. Recycled Photo Frames Photo frames were created from pages of discarded telephone directories by disabled artisans in Chiangmai, North Thailand. Hence, Banyan Tree Gallery was able to provide the artisans with employment, while developing eco- friendly and functional products concurrently.
Krajood Baskets
Since attending a training workshop at Banyan Tree Phuket in 2000, villagers from the Narathiwat province in South Thailand have been working with designers to expand their range of basketry products. Using krajood (bulrush reeds), these skilled artisans are able to weave functional and durable baskets. Khmer Silk Pouches These specially commissioned Khmer silk pouches are made by disabled individuals from the Cambodian Handicraft Association for Helping the Landmine & polio Disabled Landmine & Polio (CHA). CHA teaches these individuals skills such as weaving & sewing, hence enabling them to earn a livelihood and reintegrate into the society.
Elephant Dung Paper Product
Since 2004, Banyan Tree Gallery has been in collaboration with the Millennium Elephant Foundation to produce a range of elephant dung paper products like photo frames and notebooks. Based in Pinnawala, Sri Lanka, the Foundation looks into the welfare of elderly and disabled elephants. Through its programmes, Sri Lankan schoolchildren are educated on elephants, and are taught responsible farming practices for the future. In addition, the elephant mahouts - who are often at the bottom rungs of society, are also provided with an additional source of income through the production of these elephant dung paper merchandise.
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