SungAh Kim Username: sungahkim Sungah2000@gmail.com Bloomington High School South Project Green Challenge 2016 Day 13: Fair-Trade Greenest Free Trade Agreements harm small-scale producers by 1. Taking advantage of their small production company and exploiting their goods for cheap prices and higher retail prices. 2. Forcing the small-scale producers to sign agreements that do not give the producers any civil rights (protest). 3. Giving poor working conditions to their workers.
CAMPUS ITEMS that could be Fair Trade Gildan T-Shirt- 100% cotton Fairtrademerch organic cotton T- shirt Cotton is the most widespread profitable non-food crop in the world. Its production provides income for more than 250 million people worldwide and employs almost 7% of all labor in developing countries. Approximately half of all textiles are made of cotton. The global reach of cotton is wide, but current cotton production methods are environmentally unsustainable. The production of fairtrademerch s cotton is sustainable and treats their producers ethically with safe working conditions and fair wages. By purchasing this fair-trade t-shirt, you are funding a company that will guarantee safe conditions for its workers and a fair wage.
Starbucks Coffee Fairtrademerch organic cotton T- shirt Coffee is one of the most commonly grown/exploited goods in the world (top 50 crops in the world). It is most commonly grown and sourced from Brazil. Brazil s coffee industry is sadly known for its corrupt economy and treatment of its workers. Starbucks claims to have sourced their coffee from sustainable coffee plantations but several undercover news articles say that the sourcing of the coffee hasn t changed, just the title. Equal exchange sources its coffee from small farmers. They are partners with coffee co-ops which allows for them to get the best sourced coffee beans. A great example is SOPACDI from the Democratic Republic of Congo. 20% of the workers are women and all of their products and fair trade.
North Face Fleece Jacket Patagonia Jacket North face is a very popular outerwear company. The sourcing of their jackets are from China or Indonesia. A lot of big brand companies like North Face. Patagonia is a certified fair trade company and very well known. The materials and labor that goes into their clothing is all ethically produced and it is a sustainable company. When your clothing is worn out, instead of throwing it away, you can send it to their company and they will fix your clothing to decrease waste. Patagonia funds a lot of sustainable projects as well.
Chap Stick EcoLips Lip Balm Chapstick uses materials such as petroleum as their base of their product which is detrimental to the environment. The companies products are made in places like china and Indonesia where the workers are treated like slaves rather than humans. Eco lips is USDA certified organic, Fair-Trade certified, and 1% of their profits go to different non-profit organizations. The lip balms are made of all natural ingredients. The cost is similar to that of Chapstick
Dove Deodorant Honestly Phresh Deodorant Deodorant is a must-have necessity for a lot of individuals. Popular big-brand companies like Dove use chemicallybased formulas containing carcinogenic fragrances and chemicals like aluminum-zirconium. Honestly phresh deodorant uses all Fair-trade certified and non-gmo ingredients. It is without aluminum which is usually used to clog pores in common deodorants (can lead to cancer). The materials are all ethically sourced so every purchase goes towards an ethical cause.