100% Costa Rican company, dedicated to the design and manufacture of apparel made of recycled fabrics.
Contact: info@hipnverde.com
“Supporting rural women’s employment through sustainable practices”
HiPn’Verde is a company that produces eco-friendly bags and accessories. The company is run by a young Costa Rican woman, who employs a group of ladies, that live in a rural area located in the northeast of the country. The women are empowered through learning various skills in order to produce the line of eco-friendly bags and accessories. These talented women work from their homes and are given complete responsibility in the production process, from sewing the bags that are made from recycled fabrics to making the paper beads that are used in the bags and accessories.
HiPn’Verde’s vision is to create unique eco-friendly bags and accessories inspired by Costa Rica’s flora and fauna; promote environmental awareness through the use of recycled material and improve the lives of rural women through the provision of long
term employment.
The women employed are paid a fair wage, more than the Costa Rican labor market has established as minimum wage for this type of job. They have the opportunity to work at home while they take care of their children and other household responsibilities.
Making these bags helped me financially, I have a better quality of life. I feel very happy that tourists recognize our work and buy them as a souvenir.
Ruth Jiménez Sancho,
63 Years old
Location:
Pénjamo, Florencia de San Carlos
Pénjamo is a small town from Florencia de San Carlos, which is located in the province of Alajuela, Costa Rica. San Carlos covers an area of 3,347.98 km² making it the largest canton (county) in the country, out of 81. It has a population of 137,499 inhabitants.
San Carlos is home of the Arenal Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The main economic activities in this area include the production of oranges, cassava, pineapple, sugar cane, sweet potatoes, rice, beef and dairy products. More than 50% of the total production of milk in the country comes from San Carlos.
In the last years tourism has become a very important source of income for the population of this area. Besides the volcano, the Arenal Lake, Venado’s Caves, Caño Negro Wildlife Refugee, several waterfalls, the Arenal Sky Trek, the hanging bridges and a great number of places with hot springs are among the most visited tourist attractions.
Arenal hydroelectric plant provides an important percentage of Costa Rica’s electric power.
Project objectives
1. To create permanent employment in Pénjamo de San Carlos, for women head-of-households.
2. To create awareness of the ecological and sustainable practices by supporting the sale and use of some recyclable products; this to the local community as well as to the customers of the products and the materials suppliers.
3. To re-use print materials to produce the paper beads that are used in the production of accessories.
4. To actively involve tourists in the project by organizing visits to the communities where the project is been developed and ask the foreign visitors to help making paper beads together with the locals.
Project proposal
Women Breaking Limits
The project strives to provide women in some rural communities of Costa Rica with a job that will generate enough income for them to support their families.
The project is located in a rural area where there are several social problems e.g. alcoholism and women abuse. Immigration from neighboring countries is another factor that contributes negatively toward the social development. Male chauvinism is a cultural issue which negatively affects the females in San Carlos.
The project is a source of hope and steady income providing financial and social relief for a group of women. Women Breaking Limits searches to encourage and support these ladies providing them with the tools, training and knowledge so that they can have secure employment and gain independence through being self-sufficient.
Production Process
1.1 Each product is 100% hand-made. The process begins with the search for the correct raw materials, e.g. fabrics, clinches, velcro, threads etc. Unwanted disposable materials such as papers and fabrics are the essentials to create an eco-friendly product line.
All the materials are packed and transported from San José (capital city of the country) to San Carlos (taking approximately 3 hours) using public transportation (bus line San José-San Carlos).
Once the materials are received in the main work-shop in San Carlos (which is the home of the head seamstress), it is distributed and assigned to a group of seamstresses to start manufacturing the different bags and products.
Currently, the complete manufacturing process of all pieces is made using domestic sewing machines. Each woman is creative in using their own traditional home furniture to keep storage materials and allow the project to continue on smoothly.
Once all the pieces are finished, the head seamstress is responsible to pack and send the finished products back to San Jose using public transportation again. This process can take over 24 hours due to many factors that include weather conditions, problems in the roads, bus schedules, and in general the significant travel time necessary to commute from the rural community of San Carlos to San Jose.
1.2 Upon arrival to San Jose, the designer and leader of the group will check and approve or reject every piece manufactured in San Carlos. Once this is done, she begins the hand-painting process of the products. All themes painted on the bags are inspired by the Costa Rican flora and fauna. Each piece is hand-painted, making each one exclusive and unique.
1.3 Every single piece comes with a coffee paper tag that contains all the information regarding the project. This tag is versatile and can be used as a bookmark. In addition, every product includes a pin with an ecological message and is packaged with recycled paper. All packaging and marketing materials are printed on a basic home printer.
As mentioned before one of Women breaking limits main pillars is the positive influence on women lives in rural communities. The project provides them with great opportunities to demonstrate the importance of working towards a better quality of life.
HiPn’Verde also has a strong impact as an eco-friendly and environmental conservation product. The products are made by hand or with machines that have no impact on the environment during their use.
HiPn’Verde also contributes toward environmental projects. A percentage of the sales of selected products have been contributed to the preservation of the Caribbean Sea Turtle. It is also one of the project goals to work together with organizations and institutions that promote nature protection in the country.
Potential of Women breaking limits
Despite the limitations HiPn’Verde has worked diligently and has received some important awards from widely attended fairs and expositions. Some of the events include: Inbioparque 2009 (National Institute for Biodiversity 2009), Mujeres Empresarias 2009 (Entrepreneurs women 2009), Diseño Responsable 2009 (Responsible Design 2009), Red Textil Iberoaméricana 2010 (Latin America Textile Network 2010).
Messenger bag - gold leaf 
Bubble Bag - Bug
Cross Body Tote 
Bubble Bag - Turtle
Bubble Bag - Owl
