On February 9th 2011, the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation successfully launched the Fairtrade Gold Standard. The UK is the first market where FT gold is available.
As a consumer, we have a basic understanding of “Ethical”. We know that buying such a product is supposed to alleviate some of our guilt, by doing a little bit of good, but what does it actually mean?
Part I of III. The jewelry industry is in many ways a messy one, marked by ecological degradation, disruption of social and economic order, child labour, even slavery and murder.
Part 2 of 3. The jewelry industry is in many ways a messy one. The Kimberley Process tries to install a way to preempt many of the abuses. But it is only partially successful.
Part 3 of 3. The jewelry industry is in many ways a messy one. What are the concrete business challenges and experiences encountered in the Far East, e.g. Japan?
What 'ethical' business trends can we see across the globe. In this double post, we look at what the trends in fair trade are, and what we can infer from them.
Part 1: What we probably know.
Historically, fair trade has pitch to and sold thanks to consumers' guilt. A grave mistake as the currently ongoing consumption trends show. Quality, exclusivity is what has survived the economic downturn best.
The conference on Ethical Trade, at the Goodenough College, London, on November 12 & 13, 2010, offered 2 tightly scheduled days, where qualified speakers followed one another.
What means ethical in the fashion business? The lack of 1 widely accepted label is an issue. Yet: The principle problem is the lack of a consensus of what ethical business practises really are.
This is the second post of a two article series. It will look at what we can say about the 'ethics behind a brand' from how they practically do business.
Perfumery can be a dirty business. In this interview with Marina Barcenilla, founder and creative perfumer of Glastonbury-based The Perfume Garden, we investigate the company's approach to ethical and vegan ingredient sourcing.
The jewellery industry still generally lacks clear certification standards. Here some definitions used to describe responsibly sourced & manufactured jewellery.
London Fashion Week 02/2011 - Day 2: EstEthica is successful so it seems. But what is there going on behind the scenes? Some controversial and critical insights.
London Fashion Week 02/2011 - Day 3: Sourcing ethically is all about knowledge. It's primarily about livelihoods and survival, beyond the 'Human-Rights factor'.
Fall 2010, day 2: London Fashion Week, the dream destination of fashionistas. Young designers have it tough - and some outstanding design by young, ambitious designers.
Minimum wage, living wage. Many are the approaches to guarantee fair remuneration for work. In 2010, Bangladesh textile workers have been rioting for fair pay. What's it all about?
Parents complain about the prices of school uniforms. Yet - are they also considering that too cheap a price may actually ... get them school uniforms for their children, made by children of that same age?
'The hidden face of fair trade' is a thoroughly researched, critical review of the fair trade movement and its players. With France as the primary focus, the author revisits the movement's history, points out paradoxes and problems, and suggest what may, or not, become of it in the future.
The coastal areas of Eastern Japan, while largely unaffected by the grade 9 earthquake from March 11th, 2011, was thoroughly washed away by the tsunami following the quake. Now that the recovery efforts are under way, also fashion companies and fashion related projects contribute their share. An overview of what is happening on the ground to-date.
This free introductory, extensively researched guide to ethically sourcing fashion from India, aims at small(er) ethical designers during the first stage of their efforts.