Ethical Consumerism

Bohemian Style

1 Comment

If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you might remember a post about the fair trade quilt I bought for my bedroom. This quilt, which I adore, came from a company called Fair Trade Quilts & Crafts, and as you can see from the photo, you could say it’s a “lot of look.”

Quilt from Fair Trade Quilts and Crafts

My bohemian-style quilt from Fair Trade Quilts and Crafts

It was out of my design comfort zone to get something so patterned and vibrant and handmade-looking, but now that I have it I wouldn’t change it. Fair Trade Quilts seems to have anticipated this kind of hesitation among North American consumers, because their Pinterest is full of inspiration photos of bohemian interiors that would go with the style of their products.

I started following them after I purchased the quilt, and at first I was a little overwhelmed by the colorful interiors showing up in my feed. But now…

I love it.

Obviously these stylized shots take the look to the extreme, but I’m definitely feeling an affinity for the eclectic, multicultural, textile-heavy aesthetic. I would love a hanging lantern, or a dramatic curtain over my living room window, or a carved wooden end table. Just a few accents can give a room a bohemian feel without being overwhelming.

I read an article recently that said that the bohemian style should look like your home is decorated with items you’ve picked up on your world travels. I love the idea of each piece having an authentic or personal story. If you don’t have the time or budget to actually circle the globe, choosing fair trade is an excellent way to accrue a collection of meaningful items from around the world that truly reflect and respect the culture of the people who made them. (For a related train of thought, see my previous blog post about the tribal trend and cultural sensitivity.)

Some of my favorite sources of fair trade home decor items are SERRV, Ten Thousand Villages, Global Gifts (a local fair trade shop in Indianapolis), and of course Fair Trade Quilts & Crafts.

What do you think about the bohemian style? Would you ever incorporate a bohemian element into your home?

Great Intentions: Eat Healthy Food

Leave a Comment

A Year of Great Intentions: Eat Healthy Food, photo of fresh fruits and veggies

Eating healthily has so many great benefits. When I have cut out processed foods, soda, and sweets and replaced it all with nutrient-rich grains, vegetables and fruits, I have slept better, become more alert and energized, and even noticed more optimistic thoughts and feelings. Based on this personal experience, along with my college nutrition class and studies I have read, I think I’m correct in saying that there are some great improvements to the biological and chemical activities of my body when I am eating well.

There are a few steps to properly change what you eat. You can talk to your doctor or nutritionist, read a couple good cookbooks, and write a meal plan. Personally, I hope to take this a step or two further by choosing organically produced food as well as ethically produced food! When it comes to healthy and fair trade food, my goal is to always pick fair trade when there is an option for it. If you would like to  join me in intentionally changing your food purchases to reflect your ethical values, start off small and as easily as possible. You might consider signing up to have a pre-selected package of healthy, fair trade – and affordable – items delivered right to your door.

Here are my tips for ethical, healthy food shopping:

  • Browse through the natural/organic section of your grocery store and look for fair trade certified nuts, grains, herbs, spices, and tea. These items may be spread out throughout the regular aisles, too.
  • Check out your local organic/health food store, fair trade shop, or Whole Foods Market.
  • Buy local produce, dairy, and meat.
  • Hit the web and shop online through such retailers as Good Guide or through Fair Trade USA’s Products & Partners.

The market for fair trade food is still quite small, but it is growing – as is consumer demand for it, according to this article by Fair Trade USA that has studied this growth in certain types of stores. Finally, if you’d like to join the movement of buying healthy, ethically-produced food, please review our Certifications page before you head to the market, so you know which labels to look for.

What stores have you found fair trade food in? We would love to hear what you’re finding in stores near you. Please comment below!

Thank you so much for following the A Year of Great Intentions blog series. I hope I have helped you reimagine how you can be intentional in shopping, purely to help improve the lives of others through your consumer choices. I wish you a truly wonderful Year of Great Intentions!

Why Fair Trade? Paying Fairly

Leave a Comment
Why Fair Trade? Paying Fairly. Fair trade felted fox.

I can’t get enough of this little guy I saw at the conference!

In our series Why Fair Trade?, I aim to illustrate some of the main reasons why supporting fair trade is important to me. Today we’re going to explore the fair trade principle of paying fairly.

At first, the term “paying fairly” by itself sounds great. Who wouldn’t agree that everyone should be paid fairly for their work? But if you think about it a little longer, the question arises: what does “paying fairly” actually mean?

Here is a summary of the Fair Trade Federation’s guidelines for paying promptly and fairly:

  • Empower producers to set prices based on the true costs of labor, time, materials, and sustainable growth
  • Comply with or exceed international, national, local, and, where applicable, Fair Trade Minimum standards
  • Equal pay for equal work by women and men
  • Ensure prompt payment to all partners
  • Offer producers access to interest-free advance payment or pre-financing with favorable terms

Fair traders also work to ensure that producers are paid a living wage that enables them to meet their basic needs.

I got a taste of the complexity of determining fair prices and wages in a session at the Fair Trade Federation conference last week. As described by Karen Gibbs from By Hand Consulting, the process of determining the artisan’s selling price of a fair trade handicraft goes something like this:

Setting a fair selling price infographic.

  1. Determine the fair hourly wage for the artisan(s) by considering their monthly expenses and how many hours they work. Other cultures do not always follow the American model of 8-hour workdays five days a week, so it takes research to find out what it would actually take for the artisans to earn a living wage.
  2. Determine the total cost to produce the item by tracking and adding the costs of materials, labor (using the fair hourly wage) and overhead. Artisans may not have accounting skills or tools, so some training is often part of this process.
  3. Consider the target customer, competition, quality, and desired profit margin, then set the selling price. This is the price that the artisan will receive from the first buyer, often a wholesaler.

As the item passes through the distribution channel from artisan to exporter to importer to wholesaler to retailer, the price of the item increases at each stage. These increases are due to shipping costs and the overhead and profit margins taken by each “middleman.” Many fair traders attempt to cut out as many steps as possible to reduce costs, but it’s still not unusual for the retail price of an item to be seven times more than what the artisan was originally paid. (I had no idea importing goods was so expensive. Mind = blown!)

As you can see, determining fair prices and wages is a complicated process. This makes me a little more understanding of why more companies, especially smaller companies, don’t do it (even though it’s the right thing to do), and it also makes me incredibly appreciative of the fair traders who put in the effort and commitment to ensure producers are paid fairly.

Fair payment is one of the many reasons I choose to support fair trade. Why do you choose fair trade? Do you have any questions about fair trade? Let me know in the comments!

Fair Trade Federation Conference Recap

2 Comments

Thumbnails of conference speakers and exhibition. Fair Trade Federation Conference Takeaways
Wow! I had such an amazing time at the Fair Trade Federation conference last week. I got to meet tons of passionate people involved in various aspects of the fair trade movement, and I also learned a lot about the specific details of putting fair trade principles into practice.

Here are some of my major takeaways from the conference:

  • There are two different schools of thought in the world of fair trade right now. One school of thought says that high standards applied by small businesses (i.e. Equal Exchange coffee grown by small farmers) is the best way to make progress toward a more fair world. The other school of thought says that by loosening standards to allow larger companies to participate (i.e. Great Value brand fair trade coffee at Walmart), we increase volume and thus increase our impact. Both groups have similar goals regarding producer wellbeing but different visions of how to get there.
     
  • Determining a “fair price” is a complicated process! It takes a lot of effort and dedication to work with artisan groups, many of whom don’t have basic accounting skills or tools, to determine their cost of materials, labor costs and overhead to factor into what the fair price for their product should be. Fair traders are committed to doing this legwork to get the price right.
     
  • Fair traders are extremely considerate about respecting cultural identity and partnering with artisans in an equal way. They do everything they can to avoid condescending to artisans or fostering dependency. Their goal is to give artisans the freedom to determine their own destinies.
     
  • One big question fair traders ask is, “How do we measure our impact on artisan communities?” Many speakers shared about the dramatic improvements in self-worth and confidence that they saw in their artisans from participating in fair trade. However there is now a desire within the movement to go beyond those qualitative improvements and back them up with quantified results such as the percentage of artisans’ children who are in school and the frequency of their meals.

I plan to expand on some of these takeaways and others in later posts. In the meantime, be sure to check out our gallery of photos from the exhibit hall below or on Facebook—there were oodles of gorgeous and interesting fair trade products on display!

Disclosure: As a media partner I received complimentary access to the conference and one of the swag bags given to all attendees, which contained some fair trade product samples. I received no other compensation for my promotion of this event.

News Roundup: March 2014

Leave a Comment

Image of yellow tulips with heading "Hello, Spring!"

Springtiiiiime! Let’s ignore the fact that it’s snowing in parts of the country. Spring is technically here, and it’s giving my mood a major boost, merely by the fact that it can’t be winter forever. I’ve even had a few days when I got outside to run and enjoy the sunshine. Of course, when I wasn’t doing that, I was reading ethical lifestyle articles like a boss. Check out my picks from this month below!

(I found several of the articles below in Modavanti’s new newsletter “The Weekly What.” I couldn’t find a subscribe link on their website, but I think if you just register for their site in general you’ll receive it.)

The Opiate of the Masses – Leah shares her thoughts on why ethical consumerism shouldn’t be the only way we express our values and concern for people and the planet. Very thought-provoking! (Style Wise)

Style Is the Way You Live Your Life – Gala Darling is one of my favorite blogs to read for a healthy dose of encouragement and girl power. This post emphasizes how your purchases don’t define your style—it’s more about being creative with what you have than about buying the latest designer item. (Gala Darling)

AllSaints, Urban Outfitters Fail to Address Forced Labor in Cotton Sourcing – This article summarizes a report from the Responsible Sourcing Network which surveyed companies on their policies and practices related to sourcing cotton from Uzbekistan, where forced labor in cotton production has been extensively documented. (Ecouterre)

25 Shocking Fashion Industry Statistics – This list includes statistics on global apparel spending, pollution from the textile industry, and garment industry wages. (TreeHugger)

Why I Invest in Ethical Fashion – This article provides a concise rationale for the ethical shopping movement, comparing it to the dramatic emergence of the organic food movement. (PandoDaily)

Retailers want answers from Cambodian PM over factory shootings – I’m not sure how I missed this… did you know that in January, Cambodian security forces shot at and killed workers who were protesting low wages? (The Guardian)

The Post-Landfill Action Network – This is a great program started by college students to solve the huge problem of waste caused by the year-end move-out purge. Students rescue usable items in the spring and re-sell them to students in the fall when they move back in. I love how this program connects unwanted items with people who want them! It’s such a key part of the sustainable sharing economy.

Organic Equal Exchange Chocolate Easter Eggs – Temperatures are rising (in some places… sort of…) which means the window for ordering fair trade chocolate online is closing. Equal Exchange is offering milk and dark chocolate easter eggs, plus their usual minis. Stock up before temperatures get above 75!

New ethical lifestyle blogs found this month:

New shopping sites found this month:

  • ThredUp – Online consignment store allowing users to recycle clothing from their own closets and purchase high quality used items (found via Style Wise).

What are you reading lately? Is it getting to be spring-ish where you live?

Great Intentions: Take a Trip

2 Comments

Title of post over a map of Africa

As I mentioned in my first A Year of Great Intentions blog post, I will soon fulfill my dream of traveling back to Italy. It has been six years since my amazing semester spent studying in Florence, and I’ve had a hankering to return ever since. My main goal for this trip is to live like a local – stay where the locals live, dine where the locals dine, and shop where the locals shop. As I make plans, I do think how wonderful it would be to have a guide to help me choose places to visit and activities to do that will leave a positive mark on the people who live and work where I will tread.

Many studies have been done on the economic impact of tourism. While the conclusion is that this industry does have excellent benefits, there are negative consequences as well – often depending upon the tourist’s choices, and the status of the country’s development. I will keep the following three points in mind as I traverse Italy, and do my best to avoid those things that can hurt instead of help the locals I wish to respect and be gracious to. Here are some simple tips for those of you wishing to do the same:

  • Buy local food and drink. That is, avoid the purchase of imported goods. You will help lower the demand for costly imports that decrease revenue.
  • Stay in locally-owned hotels rather than international chains or all-inclusive resorts. This way, more revenue will stay in-country.
  • Travel in off-season. This will be an advantage to your street vendor or taxi driver who may be struggling to get by until more tourists arrive.

Finally, what if I told you that there are actually guides out there who will assist you in making decisions that do good to the local economy? They may not be everywhere, but if you haven’t chosen your next travel location, perhaps one of these will catch your eye:

Fair Trade Tourism (FTT) – FTT-Certified Places to Stay and Things to Do in South Africa, plus Fair Trade Holidays to Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Fair Trade Travel Pass – 21-day “Travel Pass” in South Africa.

Tourism Concern – Ethical Tour Operators in several locations; some current examples are Burma, Romania, Kenya and Tanzania, and Nepal.

As I keep telling everyone I know, I can’t wait until I arrive in Roma and become reacquainted with the country I fell in love with while in college. I am so grateful for this chance to travel again, to a gorgeous country at that! Where do you hope to visit next? Do you have any other tips you would like to add?

Check out the rest of the posts in Laura’s Great Intentions series.

Is Trendy Fashion Ethical?

10 Comments

This post is an expansion on some thoughts I had while gathering links for last month’s roundup. In particular, my thoughts were brought on by this pair of pants:

High-waisted black overalls from Accompany

I came across them while perusing the website of new high-fashion, ethical retailer Accompany. High-waisted, skinny-leg black overalls. It takes a moment for the mind to fully grasp. Did I mention they’re dry clean only?

My initial question about these pants was whether such a trendy, bizarre, expensive, impractical article of clothing could be truly billed as ethical. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I had bigger underlying questions about the relationship between fashion, trends and ethics.

I have a knee-jerk dislike for overtly trendy items because to me they say “fast fashion.” Whether the item was made by a sweatshop or a fair trade co-op, it’s still destined to be worn only a few times before being discarded into the waste stream as tastes change. Best case scenario, the item ends up being thrifted and loved by several different owners. On the other hand, it could be part of a shipment of donated castoffs sent to a developing nation, undermining local garment production. Or it could go straight to a landfill while the original purchaser orders this season’s latest style, beginning the cycle again.

I realize that this reaction is not necessarily warranted. As an art school grad, I appreciate the artistic aspect of fashion, in the same way that I appreciate the artistry of an expensive meal. And if designers are going to be producing off-the-wall pieces as a matter of creative expression, I’d obviously rather them be made by workers in good conditions than in sweatshops.

Collection of trendy ethical clothing including a fringed t-shirt, reptile shoes, sheer top and blue jumpsuit

A few examples of trendy items found on ethical shopping websites

I think the root of my disdain for these items and the trendy collections they represent is that I see the ethical shopping movement leaning disproportionately toward fashion-forward, high-end designs targeted to young, affluent, educated women. This makes total sense from a business perspective, because that’s the market that is aware of ethical shopping issues, has disposable income, and generally enjoys fashion. I can’t fault these companies for knowing their audience. What I can fault them for is playing into the fast-fashion mentality that this audience has learned from the system ethical companies are supposedly trying to alter.

The truth is that very few people can wear items like these, for a variety of reasons. I’d like to see ethical options be available to everyone, from young to old, fashionable to frumpy, skinny to plus-sized, high-income to low-income.

That being said, I have to remind myself that the ethical shopping movement is young and that every new market served is a victory. We’ve come a long way from every fair trade dress having dragonflies batiked on it. I have faith that eventually there will be options for everyone. We’re just not there yet.

What are your thoughts on ethics and trends? I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the most fashionable person, so I’d love to hear the opposing viewpoint from someone who actually enjoys fashion.

Why Fair Trade? Creating Opportunities

Leave a Comment

One thing I have struggled with as I have changed my shopping habits is explaining to people why choosing fair trade is worthwhile. I sometimes even have a hard time articulating what fair trade is. With this new series “Why Fair Trade?” I plan to share some of the main reasons that fair trade is important to me and how it makes a real and positive difference in people’s lives.

First, let’s start with a basic definition of fair trade:

What does that mean? Basically, fair trade is a way of doing business that is intentionally designed to be fair to all partners and lead to positive development for participating communities. To me, that sounds like how people and businesses should behave all the time, which is why fair trade is such an obvious choice for me.

So how do fair trade businesses help develop communities? One way is by…

Creating Opportunities for Economically and Socially Marginalized Producers

Fair trade businesses partner with artisans, farmers, cooperatives and other producer groups who are in some way marginalized or disadvantaged in the global marketplace. Producers could live in an impoverished area with few employment options or poor infrastructure, they could be workers gaining job skills after escaping domestic abuse or human trafficking, or they could be independently-owned farms competing with large corporate plantations. These are just a few examples of the types of producers who benefit from fair trade but may not otherwise have the ability to compete in the conventional marketplace.

By choosing to work with these types of producers, fair trade businesses offer workers a sustainable way to increase their income and quality of life. This development comes through safe and fair employment, not through charity, which helps communities break the cycle of poverty.

Beyond just creating an initial opportunity, fair trade businesses also help producers build their capacity by forming long-term partnerships and providing training on product design, finance, and other business skills.

Here is an example of how one fair trade business, Greenola, created opportunity for women to lift themselves out of poverty:

In Bolivia, Greenola collaborates with sewing cooperatives, particularly cooperatives of indigenous women, to create fun, fashionable clothing.

The women are doubly disadvantaged. Bolivian society often undervalues the worth of women in the workplace and many of their 50+ artisan partners have faced a lifetime of racism and discrimination because of their Quechua heritage. […]

Greenola has helped the women organize and provided start-up loans and regular orders so that the women could improve their own lives, receive a living wage, and be connected to the global market. Socially, Greenola also facilitates opportunities for the women to manage, operate, and innovate within their cooperatives.

Source: Fair Trade Federation

I hope that explanation sheds some light on how fair trade can truly improve lives. Do you have questions about fair trade? Let me know and I’ll try to answer them in a future post!

News Roundup: February 2014

6 Comments

As you can see from this list, I did a lot of reading this month! Lots of good stuff to share, so read on!

Is my "right" to look cute worth supporting brands that treat other human beings poorly?

This question reflects my thought process perfectly. (Pinterest via Delightfully Tacky)

Tips for Ethical Shopping Abroad – A primer on trading kitschy souvenirs for more meaningful and ethical vacation purchases. (Melibee)

Can Fashion Be Both Cheap and Ethical? H&M Thinks So. – I was intrigued to see this article on the Glamour website—I’m not used to seeing ethical fashion covered in mainstream, consumer-focused fashion magazines. It’s not a hard-hitting article, but it raises important questions to an audience who perhaps haven’t considered them. (Glamour.com)

Dangerous Third-World Factories Made US Military-Logo Clothes, Report Says – A report from the International Labor Rights Forum says that clothing for U.S. military exchanges was being produced in the Tazreen factory in Bangladesh that caught fire and killed over 100 workers last year. (ABC News)

Public Eye Award Goes to Gap, Inc. – Greenpeace Switzerland and the Berne Declaration have given Gap, Inc. the 2014 Public Eye Award to highlight the company’s failure to sign the Bangladesh Fire & Building Safety Accord and its insistence on promoting a weak, non-binding alternative program. (Public Eye Awards)

Why We’re Saying No to Dirty Gold – This article describes the environmental and social impacts of conventional gold mining and offers resources for ethical alternatives such as recycled gold. (Triple Pundit)

The Note Passer – I have recently discovered this blog and there are so many helpful and insightful posts I don’t even know where to start. Elizabeth also keeps an extensive Resources section of ethical fashion, home, and finance options.

Objects with Meaning – This neat project from Zady invites readers to submit a photo and description of an object they hold particularly dear. The idea is to emphasize those objects with real value and de-emphasize meaningless “stuff.” (Zady)

Online Fashion Retailer, Accompany, Makes Ethical Shopping Easy – This profile on new ethical retailer Accompany made me question the relationship between trends and ethical production. If you click through to the Accompany site, you’ll see some wacky styles, and as ethically as they may have been produced, I can’t help but think the sheer trendiness of the garments makes them inherently unsustainable. What do you think about trendy “ethical” fashion? (Huffington Post)

Are We Witnessing the Rebirth of American Textile Manufacturing? – A New York Times article highlights increased demand for domestic production of textiles and apparel. (Modavanti)

Fair Tax makes its Mark – This article argues that corporate tax avoidance should be a key consideration when evaluating a company’s social responsibility and describes a new certification in the U.K. that businesses can get for paying their taxes fairly. (New Internationalist)

Sales & New Retailers

Hipcycle – This site features only products made from items diverted from landfills. They have funky, unique products made from circuit boards, tires, liquor bottles, records, railroad parts and more. They are not part of a fair trade organization, but according to their FAQ their products are made primarily by small businesses both in the U.S. and abroad, and each product page lists the country of origin.

Fair Indigo is clearing out their winter merchandise with some items discounted up to 75%. As you’ll recall from my previous post about fair trade sales, their stuff is legit—cute, high quality, versatile, practical. Don’t get me started on the organic dresses again…

Mayan Hands, a long-time member of the Fair Trade Federation, works with weavers in rural Guatemala to make beautiful tablecloths, scarves, pouches and more. Check out their sale section for savings on these lovely textiles.

Great Intentions: Manage Debt

Leave a Comment

A Year of Great Intentions: Manage Debt | Photo of yard sale sign on a fence

When I walk past a yard sale on a Saturday, I am astonished at how much stuff people accumulate and cannot sell. Sure, perhaps in ’95 you loved that porcelain statue and it stood proudly on your shelf for years, but you found it dusty in a box in your closet a month ago, stuffed beneath ratty t-shirts and your old tape collection. There is an excess of consuming, evident all summer long in lawns and garages across America.

There is a way to manage this better, with a few steps for us as individuals to take so we can head in that direction, and shut down the extreme consumerism that is hurting poor people around the world. This second topic of the blog series A Year of Great Intentions, Manage Debt, is meant to encourage you to be mindful of your money as we continue into this year and beyond, with the inclusion of ethical shopping choices in your financial plan.

It is important to keep in mind some financial basics, like setting aside savings regularly, checking your credit report at least once per year, cutting unnecessary spending, and paying off debts before adding new ones. Since I am not a financial expert, you may want to schedule an appointment with a financial advisor to learn more and make a personalized plan; or, consider taking a personal finance course or checking out books from your library.

Before exclaiming, “I’m going to buy everything Fair Trade!” please read the following tips that might rescue you from over-shopping (and even over-spending!):

  • Set up a budget for shopping and stick to it.
  • Invest in items that will last long, be useful for decades, and be used often.
  • Go thrifting for things you need that don’t have to be brand-new. Recycle and reuse!
  • Be cautious about spending on credit and how or when you are paying off your debt.
  • Ask, “Do I need this?” every time.
  • Assure that what you’re buying follows ethical social and environmental standards. (See our Principles page for our set of standards as an example.)

Choosing to have great intentions regarding your assets is, truthfully, subjective. What sets you apart, though, is that your intention is to positively affect the lives of other people. This “manage debt” thing is not about you alone. Halting the purchase of questionably-derived products is one way to take a stand against slave labor. Beginning to purchase more ethically-made products will support the efforts of those companies giving marginalized adults and children an auspicious life. Find out where your heart should be, and let everything in your life, including your finances, follow suit.