Poverty is the main cause of women in prison (female incarceration) in the world.

For the Danish startup CARCEL this problem has sparked the idea for a new business with the purpose of breaking the cycle of poverty.

How? By selling beautiful, luxurious clothes in 100% natural materials made by women in prison in poor countries around the world.

The world’s first ethical prison labour company

When CARCEL employs female inmates, the women receive a fair wage that allows them to cover their basic living costs, send their children to school and save up for a crime-free beginning.

In this way CARCEL is turning otherwise wasted time into skills and paid jobs, so women in prison can support themselves and their children for a better future.

A new kind of activism

CARCEL is taking a new approach to (corporate) activism: Instead of blaming and criticizing the fashion industry, CARCEL uses its luxury brand as a platform to inspire and motivate consumers to support their efforts in creating positive change for women in prison.

– Instead of shouting about women’s rights and a broken justice system, we can get access and change things from the inside, even though we’re not an NGO. We’re using our business as a driver for change, explains CEO & founder, Veronica D’Souza, and elaborates:

– The more customers we get, the more women in prison we can employ. This means more women, who can provide for their families, who won’t come back into the prisons, and who will be better assimilated into the economy once they’re out. This is a win for everybody in society.

Get more insights from CARCEL 

CARCEL’s CEO & Founder Veronica D’Souza was one of the key note speakers at the miniconference on “Corporate Social Activism” in the Social Business Club.

At the miniconference, Veronica D’Souza shared practical advice on how CARCEL uses its business as a vehicle for creating positive change for poor women around the world.

At the event, these other key note speakers also shared how-to insights and inspiration:

• The international social business specialist who provides an overview of global trends and cases on corporate social activism (Tania Ellis, Special Advisor & Founder, The Social Business Company)
• The recent Sustainable Brands Index award winner and retail giant that applies choice editing and campaigning to inform and engage its consumers in sustainable consumption (Thomas Roland, CSR Manager, COOP Danmark)
• The low-cost telecommunications company that initiated a national social movement by changing the company from within (Hanne Lindblad, former CEO and Anja Enggaard former Marketing Manager, Call me)

The Social Business Club is an inspirational network forum for professionals from around the world with an interest in innovative and sustainable business practices that create value for society and the bottom line. Free sign-up at www.thesocialbusinessclub.com