Responsible Design
15 Year Journey
Our Story
For Free People
Being Green is no longer optional nor is it an overnight process. Responsible Design goes beyond environmental sustainability, touching livelihoods, creative ecosystems, and cultural impact as well.
Good Design Everyday
2025
At Freedom Tree, we stand for design that is enduring, responsible, unpretentious design, guided by a philosophy of holistic sustainability and responsible design. For us, environmental sustainability begins with making the right design choices, examining the entire production process, and understanding the circular lifecycle of a product.
Can we craft a décor item out of recycled materials? Does a printing process use the minimal amount of chemicals? Will the product last a lifetime once it’s made?
Product Design
We design and make all our products in India. Global supply chains are fragile and carbon intensive. Materials are responsibly chosen, frugally up-cycled and thoughtfully used. We source local materials, working them by hand or in small batch machine production, as has been done for generations. Mindfully. This is how we have always worked.
We are proud to see next generation craftsmen adopt tools & technology to enhance artisanal workmanship. In so many ways, we have a long way to go on all fronts – whether furniture, textile, ceramics, or clothing, each has its own challenges and particular solutions.
Read on to see some of the ways we practice Responsible Design
Upcycled woods
At Freedom Tree we choose up-cycled teak rescued from homesteads and shipyards. Well- weathered and enduring, the wood continues to tell a story, lasting a lifetime while being gentler on the Earth. 90% of our teak is rescued and lovingly remade for your home.
Shop >
Recycled yarns
Recycled yarn is another way of using fabric scraps to save them from landfills. We use them in certain textile products as our way of conscious production and mindful creation, and pass on this benefit to you.
Shop >
Single fired ceramics
Traditional ceramics are a labour intensive and time consuming process with multiple firings in the kiln. We hand paint and glaze our ceramics, and single fire them to consciously reduce kiln time and our carbon footprint. Ceramic stoneware produced this way can last generations, further reducing waste. 90% of our ceramics are single fired in this energy-saving manner.
Shop >
Decor
We consciously use waste and recycled materials to craft many of our decor items out of wood, fabric and metal. Tin cans, coconut husk, fabric offcuts, waste yarns - our creativity knows no bounds.
Shop >
Clothing
We are mindful of the fact that apparel uses the most water in its manufacture and the dangers of quick-use “fast-fashion” models. So all our clothing is produced in small batches locally, designed to be timeless, and last for years. Our fabrics are all made from bio-degradable and plant-based yarns, or are pure cotton.
Shop >
Environment
WMindful of our legacy and our own responsibility towards the Environment, we believe in high quality, longevity and timeless design. Circularity and the reuse of materials, right from design to development is top of mind in our studio. We work in collaboration our creative partners every step of the way to ensure every detail is in alignment with our philosophy of minimal waste and mindful usage of resources.
We continue to assess and to understand our environmental impact and rework our designs to realign with our customers needs. We guide people to care for these special products and materials in the hope of leaving the lightest touch in the life and use of our products in your home.
2Creative Partners and Sustainable Craft
WFrom the very beginning, Freedom Tree has been about celebrating a modern Indian aesthetic while showcasing the skills and materials that our country’s rich handicraft traditions have to offer. In fact, we work across the length and breadth of the country with “creative partners” – artisans and manufacturers that have generations of skill and home-grown expertise in their craft.
These skills and traditions are threatened by mechanization, commodification, and imports. In partnering with these craft clusters around the country, we are able to commission cutting edge design that preserves and upskills workers and entire organizations.
WOUR CREATIVE PARTNERS IN 2025
Wmore than 125 makers
and artisan groups
WOur Creative Producers are the co-creators who give form to our ideas and shape to our designs. They are fellow travellers on our journey of co-creation, colour and pattern, breathing life into mere concepts.
All our partners are here, in India, and our manifesto states we will produce only within India. We work across state borders with producers of many materials. They work from areas where there is artisanal skill and raw material, all locally sourced.
WENDURING CRAFT PARTNERSHIPS
W7+ partners with us for 40 years
25+ partners for over a decade
WSome of our creative producer relationships have spanned decades, even generations. There is a transference of mutual values. Shared ways of working and experimenting with styles and techniques have built trust over the years, which allow these relationships to flower.
SHOP HOME
SHOP CLOTHING
