Green Living Stores

Fair trade is an alternative trade system that aims to empower developing country producers and promote sustainability. Mainstream trading, through globalization of the economy, tends to drive down prices, wages and working conditions, and environmental and labor protections. Fair trade, on the other hand, advocates livable wages, safe and healthy working conditions, democratic participation, and stable, sustainable economic development.

If you buy fair trade clothing, you can be sure that the products you purchased came from a source where producers are paying their laborers fairly, and in turn are being paid appropriately for their products. You can also be sure that your products were not produced in a way that’s harmful to the environment.

Fair trade is an organized social movement and approach to commerce that intends to discourage global poverty, working with marginalized populations to further the economic empowerment of those populations.  Fair trade also advocates payment of a fair price as well as favorable social and environmental standards in depressed areas that produce the goods that are to be sold.  Exports from developing countries are the central focus of the fair trade movement, especially coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, and cotton (which makes up a large amount of the fair trade clothing available for sale).

Another goal of the fair trade movement is to encourage those they serve to achieve greater equity in international commerce by becoming more active in their own organizations.  Fair trade advocates include a variety of well-known international organizations who concentrate on religious, environmental, social and development aid such as Amnesty International and Oxfam.

Looking for stylish Fair Trade items? These beautiful bags from the Shanzu Transitional Workshop in Mombasa will fit your needs. Natural Organic Clothes has a selection of three bags. You have the Shanzu Lamu - a 16″x13″ bag with a wide shoulder strap. A smaller bag is the Shanzu Patch 8″x8″ strap bag with patches that look like Kente Cloth. Last but not least is the 7.5″x8″ Passport bag with a zipper closure and strap. All three bags are well made quality with vibrant colors to help you make your statement about Living Green and supporting Fair Trade.

My dad is one of those guys who has worn the same clothes since the 1970’s. For Father’s Day this year, I’m getting him some new clothes. Rather than play into the corporate black hole of buying sweatshop-manufactured wares, I’m buying him some fair trade clothing.

Not only will he FINALLY get some new clothes, but they will be made with ethics.

Purchasing fair trade clothing may seem like something that it’s a trend, but it should be a long-term commitment that can have some really positive effects.  Most commercially available clothes are manufactured in sweatshops; even brands that are advertised as sweatshop-free and made in the United States (such as American Apparel), have run into accusations of discouraging their employees from unionizing. 

Fair trade clothing ensures that you can be fashionable without having your ethics compromised in anyway.  In the end, it’s all a fair game.

Fair Trade products are a very important part of Living Green as a responsible servant of the earth and its people.  The following is an email I received from 
Rubana Ahmad owner of Ethika Boutique Ltd. In response to my need to understand why Fair Trade is an important part of the Living Green issue.

Hello Living Green,

Sure I’m happy to help.
For me Fair Trade is being able to receive a just pay that enables workers to earn enough to eat and provide for their families and invest in their futures.  Fair Trade is the new fight for equality in human rights for those that work in the third world.  Our female embroiderers were formerly cleaners, sweeping floors every morning, after a whole month earning a mere £4, which is simply nothing!!!  Yet they had no choice but to take this demoralizing work.  We enable them to use their inherited skills and are happy for them to work from their homes, in a safe environment, and we pay them what they ask, we do not bring the price down at all.  They regularly ask our managers for more work.

I think Fair Trade goes hand in hand with Living green.  The two co-exist with each other, and we all value our environment so we try our best to use low-impact dyes that aren’t harmful to workers or the environment.  I think it’s up to us the consumers to make this change, and be aware that the mass produced cheap clothes that large companies market are coming at a steep price to many people who are being exploited.
I have just this week answered another company’s question, and I thought it might be interesting for you to have a look,

Dear Rubana,

My name is Freia and I’m writing an article about the ‘true cost of cheap fashion’ for Chris from fair-trade boutique’s website. I was wandering whether I could ask you some questions to add into my report and get opinions of people who are connected to fair-trade boutique. It would really help in developing ideas within this subject area.
 
Why do you think this whole cheap fast fashion has taken off?  An interesting co-incidence to note is that cheap culture took off about the same time, that easy jet revolutionized air travel through cheap tickets; so many consumers became spoilt by naturally expecting a bargain in other areas too.   Also with easy jet, there isn’t direct exploitation of people, but yes the environment bears a steep price.  People also spend a lot more than they save, and the steep deadly rise in house prices are also a big, big influencing factor, there is just a lot less money to go around.  I’ve also noticed that students particularly like to keep a certain image, and like to update their wardrobe frequently.  Perhaps this habit trickles through their lives and with a higher income, the more they can purchase. There are also many poor communities that actually live on the edge and just can’t afford to spend more than £10 or £20 per month.  They have to buy there clothing from somewhere.  The clothes shop they use to visit were pretty dismal, but huge clothing shops like Marks and Spencer have rebranded themselves, as well as Matalan among others to make cheap clothing affordable and great looking, so of course we all think, if it looks just as good, why should we pay more?

Perhaps consumers made the jump, and thought why not cheap clothing, no-ones loosing out, and we can buy more clothes and affordably keep our images up to date.  I actually went to a radio interview where the host exclaimed proudly, this cardigan was from Matalan for £7, but then I asked, how is it that it can be offered for such a cheap price??? There must be someone who is being exploited and paid almost nothing for you to get this price.  
 
 I was disgusted when I started to read some articles from The Ecologist from Dame Anita Roddicks article that children, women and men were being made to work around the clock in Bangladesh and working incredibly long hours with no breaks, and perhaps they earn a mere pittance that they can hardly survive on let alone build a normal standard of life on.  Why shouldn’t they have the same rights as we do, for a minimum wage, and for decent rights of breaks and some type of medical coverage and educational fees for the families’ children?  I read further about their awful situations and the lack of choices for any other type of job apart from cleaning which pays the same, they don’t have money to study for qualifications, and the countries in Asia lack the infrastructure and growth to offer good jobs.  These very sweat shops supply many of the cheap chains.  I decided then and there not to purchase these items.
 
Is the problems associated with this fast cheap fashion influenced your choice of area within fashion?
Of course, I new many women through family contacts who were themselves educated through people’s donations, but lacked any opportunities to work.  I realized that they have a huge wealth of skills that I could market to make a really exclusive brand; I just needed to DO IT.  And you can see what they can achieve by viewing the Ethika Boutique collection.
 
Do you think this unethical production of products will pass as the public get more aware of issues to do with this?
I certainly think consumers are more willing to consider buying an ethically sourced garment, that they know every effort has been taken to avoid exploitation.  I think the more our society is educated the more valuable they will think an ethical purchase is.
 
Does it make you more aware of these issues when buying products yourself do you only buy fair-trade?
I am certainly aware of these issues, and do try to by my clothing from shops that I now give back and support fair-trade.
Thanks for listening,

best regards,

Rubana Ahmad.
Ethika Boutique Ltd
www.ethikaboutique.com