During my international placement at Bhutti Weavers Co-operative Society (Bhuttico) in Himachal Pradesh, India, sustainability was not a theoretical ideal, it was the structure of daily life. Situated in the Himalayan foothills, Bhuttico is a Woolmark-certified textile cooperative that specialises in handloom woollens made from regionally and ethically sourced fibres such as Merino, Pashmina and Yak wool.
As a Raw Material Research & Development Intern, my work focused on fibre traceability, procurement and quality documentation. Through mapping sourcing information – origin, processing stages, and testing specifications, I contributed to improving material transparency and reducing waste from misorders or overstock. This aligned directly with UN SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-consumption-production/, by enhancing accuracy in Bhuttico’s already low-impact supply chain. I was also involved in reviewing the environmental certifications of dyes and finishes used by partner mills and shadowed technicians during lab testing, gaining insight into the relationship between fibre performance and long-term durability: key for reducing product turnover and textile waste.
But my commitment to sustainability extended far beyond the production floor. I chose to live within Bhutti Colony, a walkable campus community where most artisans and staff reside. My commute involved a 12-minute walk each morning through narrow hillside paths shared with school children, weavers and livestock. For longer distances, I used shared jeeps, a locally common public transport method that significantly reduces per-person fuel use compared to private vehicles.
Instead of contributing to single-use plastic consumption through food delivery, I arranged a food barter with a local vegetable seller. In exchange for assisting him with his stall in the evenings, I received three home-cooked meals each day from his family. This choice not only eliminated packaging and food waste, but fostered meaningful community ties demonstrating that low-impact living is also deeply relational.
To monitor and reduce my carbon footprint, I used the UN Carbon Footprint Calculator, https://offset.climateneutralnow.org/footprintcalc, and chose to offset the emissions from my return flight through their platform. These actions reflect my commitment to SDG 13: Climate Action, https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal13, not just through personal lifestyle changes, but by critically examining how systems, transport, housing and food, can be reimagined for lower impact.
Most importantly, Bhuttico showed me that sustainability is not only a concept but a liveable practice. One that supports the livelihoods of over 360 artisans residing in Bhutti Colony and many more across rural Himalayan Himachal. Through fair wages, yearly pay raises and housing, Bhuttico enables dignified stable employment rooted in cultural knowledge and craft. To travel to such a place and to live within its rhythms, was to understand that sustainable travel is not only about lowering emissions, it is about choosing destinations and partnerships that actively sustain people, communities and ecosystems over time. It’s about walking gently through someone else’s world and leaving it, hopefully, a little stronger than you found it.
