These Ethical Handbags and Wallets Won The U.S. Excellence Award

Congrats to Parker Clay, whose ethically-made handbags and wallets won the U.S. Dept. of State’s prestigious Award for Corporate Excellence.

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It feels good to see good brands being recognized for the good they’re doing in the world. This week, we’re pleased to share that Parker Clay, a brand of ethically made handbags and wallets, won the prestigious Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE). For the past 25 years, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs has awarded American businesses “raising the bar for corporate and social responsibility.” Out of the six businesses selected, Parker Clay was recognized for its significant impact in the sustainable fashion space as a certified B-Corp.

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“Congratulations to Parker Clay on receiving the prestigious Award for Corporate Excellence from the U.S. Secretary of State. This is a remarkable achievement, and it’s a testament to your dedication and impactful work, both in Ethiopia and globally,” said Melaku Alebel, Minister of Industry in Ethiopia.

Over the past decade, Parker Clay has gone above and beyond to build a successful range of handbags and wallets that also create social and economic empowerment. The Addis Ababa, Ethiopia-based leather goods brand empowers employees with educational opportunities, living wages, and healthy, safe working environments. Parker Clay employs 200 workers at its factories, 80% of them women and many of them survivors of human trafficking and earning a paycheck for the first time. Each employee has access to funded career training and financial literacy programs to help them uplift both themselves and their communities their way. This unwavering dedication to doing good earned them the nomination and the ACE award for Women’s Economic Security.

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“I am honored to congratulate Parker Clay for winning the Award for Corporate Excellence in Women’s Economic Security,” said Ervin Massinga, U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia. “We nominated Parker Clay for its work countering human trafficking by empowering Ethiopian women to use traditional skills and local materials to create world-class products. Parker Clay ensures its workers earn wages that support their families and provides them with the tools to lift up their communities on their own terms.”

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Parker Clay’s range of handbags and wallets was founded by Brittany and Ian Bentley after the family sought a way to highlight the beauty of premium Ethiopian leather goods and employ at-risk women. As a certified B-Corp, the leather goods meet high ethical and environmental standards. Leather is sourced from local farms that ensure animal welfare and cruelty-free practices and is a byproduct of the meat industry. Tanneries use recycled water and avoid harmful and toxic chemicals and dyes. Each item is handmade to showcase traditional Ethiopian artistry and weaving techniques that allow the women to proudly highlight the beauty of their country.

“Our business model began with a commitment to empowering women in Ethiopia with living wages, benefits, and more, and we’ve shown that this model is not an act of charity – it’s just good business in a world with increasingly mindful consumers,” said Parker Clay Co-founder & CEO, Ian Bentley. “We’ve crafted a better bag, in a way that’s better for the people who create it. Now it’s time to take that model to the world. We’re building the future of fashion and manufacturing in Africa, and we want our community along with other global brands looking for alternatives in manufacturing to join us.”