New Fairly Friendly Site: Ten Thousand Villages

Ten Thousand Villages has roots in the fair trade movement reaching back to 1946. A founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization, they are one of the most established names in fair trade. They offer a huge variety of ethically-made products, primarily in the home décor and jewelry categories.

Unfortunately their website fails to make mention of some of our key criteria, including safe working conditions and child labor, so we are unable to list them on our main guide. See their Fairly Friendly listing here.

Here are some of the unique products that Ten Thousand Villages offers:

Silver Spheres Necklace

Silver Spheres Necklace

Ten Thousand Villages has been partnered with Indian artisan group Tara Projects, the makers of this gorgeous Silver Spheres Necklace, since 1986.

Copper Silk Table Lamp

Copper Silk Table Lamp

Ten Thousand Villages carries many home items that are hard to find ethically, including picture frames and lamps. This eye-catching Copper Silk Table Lamp is made by the Craft Link group in Vietnam, a partner of Ten Thousand Villages since 2000.

Embossed Silver-Plated Goblets

Embossed Silver-Plated Goblets

Can you say excellent wedding gift? These Embossed Silver-Plated Goblets are begging to be part of a matrimonial situation. Ten Thousand Villages offers a wide selection of goblets, oddly enough, from simple glass to onyx to silver-plated.

Ten Thousand Villages has an online store, and there’s also a good chance they have a physical store near you. Their products are also sold in over 300 partner stores.