The Fair Trade Store Blog

Fair Trade Shopping Bags – take your pick from our wide range

Paul — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:09:43 +0000

We have a great range of Fair Trade Shopping Bags on offer – everything from buffalo leather, jute or cotton, to recycled sweet wrappers.
The shopping bag featured in this blog is a gorgeous, chunky, natural-coloured water hyacinth shopping bag designed in an attractive half-circular shape, with two strong handles. Customers tell us that the image shown really doesn`t do the bag justice.

Water Hyacinth Fair Trade Shopping Bag

This Fair Trade shopping bag was handwoven in the village of Tan Hiep, My Tho province, Vietnam. The village has a long tradition of weaving different materials and has about 30 skilled workers, most of which are farmers, so making these bags provides a vital second income.

Very different from the usual stuff available on the High Street.
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Never lose your glasses again with our Fair Trade Wooden Spectacle Stand!

Paul — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 08:54:47 +0000

Never misplace your specs again – keep them on this attractive wooden spectacle stand, which has been handmade in India by craftsmen at Asha. In Sanskrit, Asha means “hope”.

Our wooden spectacle stand has been hand carved from Shesham wood, which is part of the rosewood family. It is a durable and fast-growing wood, reaching maturity in 15-20 years compared to 80-90 years for hardwoods like teak. Asha encourage their artisans to plant trees in place of those which are used to make their handcarved wooden products.

Wooden Spectacle Stand

India, which is one of the largest handcraft-producing countries in the world, offers an almost unlimited range of crafts and products. However, these beautiful items can be produced in conditions of abject poverty, with craft workers in bondage to moneylenders.
Asha gives marketing support and technical assistance to groups of small producers and craftsmen and women. By purchasing directly from the workers and giving generous advances, they increase income levels and help groups become self-sufficient.
A team of christian welfare workers are employed to help producers with business concerns and issues.
Asha welfare workers are stationed at different producer groups and co-operatives, sharing skills and extending medical help and education to the workers and their families. Technical training is also provided to increase efficiency and to encourage the growth and development of cottage industries.

We hope you like our wooden spectacle stand!

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How do you make a Photo Frame out of Recycled Magazine Paper?

Paul — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:07:14 +0000

We have been getting great customer reaction to this amazing new recycled magazine paper photo frame, which has been handmade with great care in Indonesia.
Not only is it recycled and therefore environmentally friendly, but its Fair Trade too. It is attractive, colourful, strong and practical and will be a real talking point in any home.
The magazine paper is very skillfully folded and then constructed into a “squares” design to make this frame. It has a in-built folding stand at the back which allows you to stand it in a landscape or portrait position. There is a glass cover at the front to protect your pictures.
The product is part of a range of new recycled products we have recently introduced and includes a matching recycled magazine paper bowl. For many more eco-friendly products check out our Eco Store.

Based in Indonesia, the skilled team that make these products are a mixture of men and women, some of whom live in accommodation provided by the group. All workers are paid a fair wage and have fair working hours and conditions. Their wage is about 10% above the national minimum wage. Healthcare is also paid for.

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It has arrived – Fair Trade Jewellery from Kenya

Paul — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 07:31:11 +0000

Over the last few weeks we have been busy sourcing new ranges of Fair Trade jewellery and are able to announce that products from Kenya are now available from our online shop.
Paul Wolfenden, owner of THE FAIR TRADE STORE, commented “We are delighted with our new range, which has been skillfully crafted from waste cow bone in workshops in Kibera slum, on the outskirts of Nairobi. By purchasing these products you really are helping to make a difference to the lives of disadvantaged people in Kenya.”

Bone Earrings with Black and White Mask Design

The range includes Fair Trade bangles, bracelets, necklaces and earrings. A sanding machine is used to shape the bone and then the patterns are created with hot wax. The result is fantastic animal designs, including giraffe and zebra. Where required, recycled copper or linen is also used and the overall effect, we think, is quite stunning.
Our favourite is this this Safari Charm Necklace with Bone Animal Shapes. We hope you like them too.

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Visit our Eco Store in support of World Environment Day

Paul — Mon, 31 May 2010 09:10:57 +0000

This year`s World Environment Day day falls on Saturday 5th June, 2010. A time to reflect on the world in which we live and the impact our lives have on it.
What does environmentally or eco-friendly mean?
How we live our life affects our environment. To us, being environmentally or eco friendly means not wasting precious resources and choosing goods and services considered to have a lower impact on the environment.

Jute Recycler Bag

Our new Eco Store has been designed with these principles in mind.
Here at the THE FAIR TRADE STORE we are pretty eco conscious. Where possible, we Reduce, Re-use and Recycle in our warehouse and office. We care about the environment. As such, we use recycled or sustainably produced materials as much as possible and have carefully selected a range of products in our Eco Store that display many of these characteristics.

PLEASE VISIT OUR ECO STORE NOW

Our Fair Trade men`s brown leather wallet – the perfect Father`s Day gift

Paul — Tue, 25 May 2010 16:12:38 +0000

With Father`s Day creeping up on us on Sunday 20th June 2010, why not think about giving a Fair Trade Gift this year?
Our Fair Trade men`s brown leather wallet has been one of our best sellers for a while now and would make the perfect gift.

The cows leather used for this wallet is beautifully soft and tactile to the touch.

Madhya Kalikata Shilpangan artisan

It has been handmade by an organisation called Madhya Kalikata Shilpangan, based in India. MKS rejuvenate the dying Indian handicrafts by helping the artisans to develop their skills through workshops, educational and medical facilities, financial aid for new equipment and long term interest free loans.
The preference of MKS for Fair Trade over the traditional commercial market is shown by transparency in its activities, the protection of traditional Indian handcrafts and a sense of social responsibility towards the artisans.

YOU CAN SEE MORE GIFTS BY VISITING THE FAIR TRADE STORE`S ONLINE SHOP NOW

Fair Trade or Fairtrade?

Paul — Tue, 18 May 2010 10:39:26 +0000

The Fairtrade Mark is awarded to products which meet internationally agreed standards. However, there are many products for which a standard has yet to be agreed. For example, jewellery, bags, fashion accessories, etc

Reputable organizations such as The British Association for Fair Trade Shops (BAFTS) have for many years sourced these products to standards at least equal to those applying to products covered by the Fairtrade Mark.

To distinguish between these categories of products, we use Fairtrade (one word) in relation to those which carry the Fairtrade Mark, and Fair Trade (two words) for the extensive range of products for which the Mark is not yet available.

Zoe Project, Lima, Peru - Seed Bracelets

The products offered for sale by THE FAIR TRADE STORE come from responsible suppliers/importers who work directly with the producers themselves to ensure that Fair Trade principles are adhered to. This close working relationship is often based on frequent visits to the producers where contracts are agreed that allow long term planning and help to build a “fair” partnership between producers and consumers based on mutual respect and trust.

By simply switching to Fair Trade you can use your purchasing power as economic muscle, secure in the knowledge that the product is not being brought to you at a terrible cost to the people that produced it.
So, by buying from THE FAIR TRADE STORE you really will be “helping to make a difference”.

PLEASE VISIT THE FAIR TRADE STORE`S ONLINE SHOP NOW

Fair Trade links with the Amazon rainforest

Paul — Fri, 14 May 2010 09:29:51 +0000

Our beautiful range of Fair Trade silver rings is designed in the UK, but handmade by artisans and cooperatives in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.
Production has minimal environmental impact, whilst being genuinely beneficial to the indiginous people who make the jewellery.
The craftspeople use the rainforest’s naturally occuring seeds, berries, wood and natural fibre to create stunning, contemporary eco-friendly Fair Trade jewellery.

Silver Rainforest Ring - Prisma

The Amazon rainforest is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America.

This river basin is a source of one-fifth of all free-flowing fresh water on Earth. Its rain forests are the planet’s largest and most luxuriant, and amazingly, home to one in ten known species on Earth. The Amazon`s tropical rainforest makes up over half of the planet’s remaining rainforests.

This basin encompasses seven million square kilometers (1.7 billion acres), of which five and a half million square kilometers (1.4 billion acres) are covered by the rainforest. This region includes territory belonging to nine nations. The majority of the forest is contained within Brazil, with 60% of the rainforest, followed by Peru with 13%, and with minor amounts in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.

In the last decades, scientific research has established a clear link between the health of the Amazon and the integrity of the global environment, but still only a fraction of its biological richness has been revealed. Today, rapid deforestation threatens the Amazon. At current rates, 55 percent of its rain forests could be gone by 2030—a looming disaster not only for the region’s plants and animals, but for the world.

PLEASE VISIT THE FAIR TRADE STORE`S ONLINE SHOP NOW.

Best seller revealed – our Wooden Earring Stand

Paul — Tue, 04 May 2010 08:46:59 +0000

To be honest, this has really suprised us, but our Fair Trade wooden earring stand is proving to be an indispensible product for our customers.
It can hold up to 20 pairs of earrings for safe keeping on two tiers, with a dished base for studs and other small items.
Supplied in 6 pieces for easy self-assembly – no screws, nails or glue required – and takes seconds to build. It stands approximately 24 cm tall.

Wooden Earring Stand

The wooden earring stand was handmade from halduwood in India by Asha Handicrafts, who are based in Mumbai.
Asha were established in 1975 as a Fair Trade christian organisation to provide a marketing outlet to individual craftsman.
In Sanskrit, Asha means “hope”. A team of Asha welfare workers are stationed at different producer groups and cooperatives sharing skills and extending medical help and education to the workers and their families. Technical training is also provided to increase efficiency to encourage the growth and development of cottage industries.
Asha encourage their artisans to plant trees in place of those which are used to make their handcarved wooden products.

VIEW MORE PRODUCTS BY VISITING THE FAIR TRADE STORE`S ONLINE SHOP NOW

World Fair Trade Day – how people can trade their way out of poverty

Paul — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 09:37:50 +0000

As World Fair Trade Day approaches on Saturday 8th May, 2010 we felt it was a good time to show you this short, but thought-provoking video.
It demonstrates the startling truth about how Fair Trade can help people out of poverty in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya.
The video has been produced by our friends at Shared Interest which is a co-operative lending society that aims to reduce poverty in the world by providing fair and just financial services. They have been part of the Fair Trade Movement for 20 years and work extensively with community-based businesses in Africa and other continents to help them make the most of Fair Trade.

For more information on how you can invest with Shared Interest please visit their website.

How will you support World Fair Trade Day this year?

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