For some, the choice of what to wear and where to buy simply comes down to a price tag. Too often that price tag is tangled up with moral repercussions like slave labor and animal cruelty. For the group of people who are Vegans, like the estimated 1 million Americans who call themselves so*, the choice of what to [...]
By: Akhila Vijayaraghavan Chocolate like coffee is a multi-billion dollar industry. It is also provides some very important CSR and sustainability issues for companies that deal with chocolate. Chocolate has its origins with the cacao tree, native to Central and South America. Today however, about 70% of the world’s cacao is grown in Africa. The history of chocolate goes back to the [...]
By: Gillian Marks I was steered to Kickstarter.com by an entrepreneurial minded friend. While browsing the site I happened upon an interesting story. Danny Jacobs, now 30, grew up in southern California, the son of a father who stressed that financial and business success were the true measure of a man. Thus, after graduating from a prestigious university, he launched a series [...]
By: Leslie Berliant I have been cooking, baking and candy making for as long as I can remember. From the time I started kindergarten, sometime around the middle of November, my mother would come in my room in the morning, feel my forehead, proclaim that I was too sick to go to school and for the next week I [...]
Kai Coffee is a fair trade and ethically sourced coffee. They have a purpose and passion to bring kids out of poverty. Kai Coffee donates 100% of its net profit to non-profit organizations dedicated to helping children in need. Kai Coffee is not just a regular brew, it’s coffee with a story. Hear what the founder Sean Naus has to [...]
By: Julie Fahnestock Note from the author: I hope you’ve enjoyed this series thus far. Many thanks to those of you who have posted very engaging comments and questions. It’s so great to see the energy around this movement. I love being part of it and it seems that millions of others do too. And, I think the debate and disagreement [...]
Please note: This posting critiques the fair trade industry at the close of 2011. As of January 2012, Fair Trade USA revised their standards and the current standards will be discussed in a future posting.) Part 4 of a multi-series blog. Read Part 1-3 here Fair Trade International and Fair Trade USA have both had a positive impact on the [...]
By: Julie Fahnestock Part 3 of a multi-series post (read part 1 and part 2) (Please note: This posting critiques the fair trade industry at the close of 2011. As of January 2012, Fair Trade USA revised their standards and the current standards will be discussed in a future posting. Click on the link at the bottom of the post to [...]
The following is a guest post by Jacob Schmalzle. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Global Exchange. — MADE IN CHINA…Or Is It? The Outsourcing Rabbit Hole As the founder of my church’s Fair Trade mission, I’ve witnessed untold billions of dollars wasted on ineffective programs to alleviate poverty. Without belittling these [...]
By: Julie Fahnestock Part 2 of a multi-series post The majority of consumers who consider themselves “ethical shoppers” are most likely to be familiar with the term, “fair trade.” An ethical consumer is also likely to know about the history of exploitation of small farmers behind the coffee, bananas, sugar and tea industries. The average, ethical consumer, however, is unlikely [...]
