Art from the Heart Recap

Art from the Heart Recap – An art-based fundraiser to support Mothers@Work

Apparel Solutions

January 4, 2024

How Avery Dennison helped raise money for working mothers in Bangladesh

In this blog recap, we summarize why Mothers@Work is such an important initiative to support, recap how Art from the Heart helped raise money and awareness for this cause, and share the unique children’s artwork that made this fundraising program so special.

Art from the Heart: An art-based fundraiser to help working mothers in Bangladesh.

Avery Dennison launched Art from the Heart on June 1, 2023 as an internal fundraising initiative to raise money for working mothers in Bangladesh through the sale of art-based products and donations. For this campaign, a series of limited-edition items were designed, including tote bags, postcards, woven wristbands, bookmarks, and more. All products featured original artworks created by the children of our Avery Dennison Bangladesh employees. The result? A collection of colorful, unique products created by kids to help mothers at work.

Art from the Heart launched on the Global Day of Parents on June 1, 2023 and ran through September 30, 2023. All profits raised within that four month span were donated to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in support of Mothers@Work, a national initiative to support would-be and new mothers at the ready-made garment and knitwear factories in Bangladesh.

About Mothers@Work

Breastfeeding spaces and breaks. Childcare facilities. Paid maternity leave. Healthcare. A safe work environment for working mothers and pregnant women.

These are central to the well-being of working mothers and their children. But unfortunately in Bangladesh as well as many other countries there tends to be widespread misunderstanding of the benefits of workplace breastfeeding and no infrastructure for infant care set up. This issue is critical in the Bangladesh garment industry, where more than 80% of apparel industry workers are female.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) states the evidence shows paid time off, support for breastfeeding and antenatal services contribute to healthier children and happier families as well as gender equality, workforce productivity and sustainable economic growth. The Mothers@Work initiative aims to protect and promote these maternity rights for women workers in the Bangladesh ready-made garments sector.

Being a force for good

At Avery Dennison, we serve as a force for good in our communities by investing in programs that advance sustainability, education and women’s empowerment. Our goal, to make a positive social impact by enhancing the livelihood of our people and communities.

Meeting the rights of children and their mothers working in the Bangladesh garment sector is an issue that Avery Dennison is deeply committed to. The money raised from donations and sales through Art from the Heart will go towards making female workers aware and informed about maternity rights, breastfeeding support services, and more.

Art from the Heart was a campaign idea that came out of a larger collaboration between Avery Dennison and UNICEF. In March 2023, Avery Dennison teamed up with UNICEF to expand the Mothers@Work program in Bangladesh. Through this partnership, the Avery Dennison Foundation will provide funding of $200,000 over two years to expand the program in 160 more RMG factories in Bangladesh. Read about the partnership here.

Unique art, made from the heart

One aspect that made this campaign uniquely special was that all products featured artwork that was created by the children of Avery Dennison Bangladesh employees. These drawings were full of originality, color, creativity and meaning.

Sustainability was kept in mind through the creation of all products too of course. The cotton canvas totes were perfect for maintaining a sustainable lifestyle. The woven products were made with recycled polyester yarns. And for the limited-edition collection, we used a R Collective rescued denim tote bag – which was made from rescued and reused material, utilizing excess waste from the fashion industry.