FORWARD
This is Maroma’s second year in a row that we are publishing our Annual Report. It has been a challenging journey for Maroma this year due to the global recession in the driver seat affecting our export market in a strong way.
Even during these difficult times our conviction and commitment to our business encouraged us to go for Fair Trade membership audit in January, 2011. We met our expectations and successfully passed the audit, and granted Membership of to the Fair Trade Forum India.
Our research and experimentation is the basis of developing new products or lines. This has been quite an interesting journey this year. The new products include the Indian Herbal line called Sama and the reed diffusers.
Our milestones of achievements, successful breakthroughs and innovations in our business have helped to soften the difficult times. We take them as challenges and opportunities to grow, as they point out weak areas for improvements. We learn from our shortcomings. We will strive to bring positive changes in our area for improvements.
This year we attended a Fair Trade Seminar to help actualize the vision of Fair Trade Companies worldwide by initiating South Trade Internationally.
OUR CLIENTS
We have been continuing our strong partnerships successfully for more than a decade and added new International Partners this year with a new distributor who opened a shop in South Africa.
OUR PRODUCTS
We have launched a new Indian Herbal line called Sama. With a tri dosha concept we have 3 soaps, 3 shampoos, 3 Hair oils, 3 massage oil, each for special body type. We added original carefully designed packaging for a new line Reed Diffusers. We are working intensively to bring more Organic products in both Home Fragrances and Body Care Products and transparency in the contents by labeling INCI in Body care ingredients, even though this is not compulsory in India.
NEW POLICIES
We are creating a production data base like flow charts, supply chain management procedures, recycling and reuse procedures and health and safety initiatives keeping our production process in mind. We are also working towards introducing quality management systems like SFTMS (Sustainable Fair Trade Management System), 5S and C-TPAT.
As part of public communication we are working out to put various Fair Trade policies on the website along with the columns for feedback and compliant mechanisms.
For the employees we added more nutritional snacks like upma and egg in tamarind sauce.
TRAININGS
We have conducted four major trainings this year
- Fair Trade and company policy awareness to staffs.
- Fair Trade and company policy awareness to workers.
- Fair Trade and company policy awareness to Suppliers.
- Fire fighting & First Aid training programs for workers and staffs.
CONTRIBUTION TO AUROVILLE
As in the past we have maintained our level of contribution to Auroville. In the last financial year we have contributed Rs. 50laks to Auroville which represents 4% of our turnover.
We also are happy to contribute ‘in kind’ by offering many of our products to Aurovillians at cost price through the distribution center called ATPC. This had been enthusiastically received by the Community.
CONCLUSION
With the dedication and commitment to all that we do at MAROMA as an organization we are striving hard to achieve success and satisfaction in generic terms of our triple bottom lines. One can call this the 3P’s: People, Planet and Profit and 3R – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. This report we dedicate to Natural and Organic Process in Home Fragrances and Body Care Products.