Feel good about going back to school

With the long summer holidays now drawing to a close all over the UK, parents have been heading to the shops to kit out their kids to go back to school.

With everything from bags and books to shirts and skirts needed to keep up in the playground, The Big Issue Shop is packed with products that help to make learning easy. And it’s not simply items for kids to stuff in their schoolbags take to class here in Britain: the social echo of many of our products at The Big Issue Shop has the added bonus of giving a little back to ensure that children around the globe can enjoy some ‘education, education, education’ in more deprived areas of the world.

The importance of education is very much the lesson that Elephant Branded are hoping to teach the world, with their vintage-looking school bags and kit.

For every one of the ethically made bags or products that the company sell, a child in Cambodia receives a school bag or kit made out of locally sourced, recycled materials as part of the bargain.

James Munro Boon, Elephant Branded founder, said: “Education is not just about donating school books, it is also about giving local ladies the skills to start their own businesses and the opportunity to get themselves out of poverty.

“By supporting local ladies through the making of each bag and their children by providing school equipment, we hope to break the cycle and provide real long-term change for each family.”

Buy Rice Backcould teach anyone a thing or two about how to take a product that has outlived its usefulness and upcycle it into a stylish must-have accessory.

They take used rice sacks from southern India and produce beautiful tote bags and accessories – ensuring workers are paid a fair wage in the process while old rice sacks are saved from landfill.

And the best bit? All the profits go to sister charity, My Name is Kumar, to help educate children to break the poverty cycle and help them realise a life beyond begging.

JOLT aims to live up to its name by shaking up homeware with their exciting range. The firm’s bright and vibrant cushions and other products are made by adults referred through mental health services in a bid to challenging the culture of low expectation.

Lanka Kade make education fun with their intricate wooden toys and gifts for children. Their range is exclusively designed in the UK and handcrafted by skilled artisans in Sri Lanka who work in coherence with the 10 principles of Fair Trade.

And while ties may often be seen tied around heads or lamp posts at the end of term, that’s not what you’d want to do with Reddendi’s beautiful, luxury neckties. Not for schoolwear, the profits from each Reddendi tie sold helps to ensure that underprivileged children in Africa, India, Peru or Syria get the same opportunity to attend school for a full year.

Reddendi revolves around giving back to education

And, as Reddendi managing director Stefan Humphries explains, the company’s ties with education are fundamental to the core of everything they do.

He says: “The Reddendi brand revolves around giving back to education. Reddendi is actually from the Latin to give back.

“For us, the one real way to drive sustainable change is through education. It provides underprivileged children with the tools to escape the desperate situation that they were born into.”