This topic is my own personal SOAP BOX. It is something I am learning more about, and it is something I hope to help educate others about....the power of the consumer and how the consumer has the ability to change the ways companies practice their business and produce their goods. Without consumers, companies have no business. Regardless of how good their products may be, without the dollars their customers spend on those products, they can't exist. And would you spend your dollars differently if you knew how your dollars were being allocated to create those products you love so much? Maybe, maybe not. Particularly by living in the United States we are greatly removed from the conditions that many of our favorite and necessary products are produced, because so many of them are produced internationally. So it is often more difficult for us as US citizens to educate ourselves about our favorite companies and brands.
I have worked in the Apparel industry for almost 16 years. And I am a woman who definitely has a soft spot for fashion and clothes! In the past year I've been learning about different companies and designers who have put forth the effort to ensure that their goods and products were produced sustainably and ethically. For some people, this means that the people who produce the clothes (i.e., the cotton farmers, the people who dye the fabric, the people who sew the clothes, etc) are receiving good living wages depending on their country context. For other people it means that the items are all made organically which is better for the environment and healthier for the producers. And for other people it means that the clothing is completely produced within the United States which provides local jobs and reduces the use of fossil fuels in shipping.
Today I'd like to give a shout out to a company based in Japan that is also available in the UK, no it is not available in the US yet, called People Tree. People Tree was started by a brilliant entrepreneur, Safia Minney, who opened their flagship store in Japan in 1997. Minney's company produces fabulous, affordable clothing all on the principals of Fair Trade.
According to their company website....
"Fair Trade doesn't just mean paying a fair price. It is an entirely different way of doing business, where the objective is not profit at any cost, but to help people in the world's most marginalized communities escape poverty and promote sustainability." They look at their business as a "tool to support people". And they currently support 50 Fair Trade producer groups in 15 developing countries.
In Safia's own words:
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