FAIR TRADE FASHION

For more than twenty years, People Tree has worked with Fair Trade farmers and artisans in the developing world to create a new type of fashion business.

WHAT IS FAIR TRADE?

Fair Trade doesn't just mean paying a fair price. Fair Trade is an entirely different way of doing business. Fair Trade puts people and the envorment central to doing business.

The objective of Fair Trade is not profit at any cost, but to help people in the world's most marginalised communities escape poverty , strengthen their communities and promote environmental sustainability.

Fair Trade is a long term partnership between producers and traders, based on mutual respect and transparency. Fair Trade enables people to put food on their tables and send their children to school on average five years longer. On a global level Fair Trade has the potential to alleviate poverty at household level and by changing the unfair structures of world trade it creates a more democratic system.

PEOPLE TREE AND FAIR TRADE FASHION

People Tree aims to be 100% Fair Trade throughout our supply chain. People Tree is committed to the World FAIR Trade organization (WFTO) principles and we guarantee that the majority of our purchasing is Fair Trade. Our Fair Trade products are purchased from economically disadvantaged Fair Trade groups in the developing world. The majority are development societies, and social business, working to WFTO Fair Trade standards.

People Tree actively supports 50 Fair Trade groups in 8  developing countries. Many were founded to deal with a specific crisis or social issue or to empower a particular community. Our Fair Trade partners make everything from handcrafted jewellery to hand knitted jumpers to hand woven dresses. Hand crafts and slow fashion is central to People Tree's way of producing things. This maximizes livelihoods and employment for over 4,000 farmers and artisans.

WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE?

In Kenya, People Tree partners with Bombolulu Workshops, a group that empowers physically disabled people. In India, People Tree purchases Fair Trade certified organic cotton from Agrocel farmers. In Bangladesh, People Tree works with Swallows  to develop hand woven fabrics and provide livelihoods for weavers. In Nepal, People Tree partners with KTS in producing hand knit sweaters, thereby providing jobs for over 2, 500 women.

  • We treat our Fair Trade partners, artisans and producers with respect
  • We aim to maintain long term relationships with our Fair Trade groups
  • We provide training to artisans, farmers and their organizations so they can improve their skills, strengthen their businesses, and deepen their social impact
  • We make 50% advance payments on orders to help farmers and producers finance Fair Trade
  • We design our Collections with enough time for hand production– this is rare in the fashion industry. Our Internal Monitoring System ensures that Fair Trade as defined by the principles of WFTO is maintained throughout our supply chain

Our partners use the profits they earn from trading with us to help strengthen their  local communities – for example supporting projects offering free education for low income  families, children providing clean drinking water, or land rights education.

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