Buying Fair Trade Gifts DOES Make a Difference

I love fair trade gifts; they are ethical, because they haven’t been produced in sweat shops. Instead, the ‘workforce’ comprises of families and communities, who tend to specialise in traditional craft techniques such as embroidery, block printing, jewellery making, or they may focus on working with a specific kind of material like wood, bamboo, stone or tin. In recent times, using recycled materials in production has also become very popular; now we can choose not only gifts that have been fairly traded, but they are also eco-friendly.

Traditional crafts are being retained by families and communities that are passed down through each generation. Specialised embroidery techniques are still used in India today, which are applied to fair trade homeware such as cushions, throws and embellished bags or scarves. Women have the choice of doing this kind of work at home, while they can look after their young children.

When you buy Fair Trade certified products, you can rest assured that producers have been paid a fair wage, working conditions are safe and no children under the age of 16 are working. Money is also reinvested into the community to increase living standards, and emphasis is put on protecting the environment; the use of hazardous chemicals in production is greatly reduced or even avoided altogether.

The exceptional craftsmanship is another reason why I love fair trade. Since everything is made carefully by hand, it is in its own right a work of art. In addition, such a diverse range of products, materials and designs appeal to buyers, who also prefer paying reasonable prices compared with expensive celebrity designer products.

So not only is fair trade ethical, but because everything is handmade, it makes each item exclusive. And because producers are constantly modifying their designs, they retain the appeal and keep the range fresh and add innovative new products.

Not only is the character and charm of fair trade gifts appealing, but also the ethics supporting these communities, who have a fair chance to thrive and develop long-term economic stability.

Support World Fair Trade Day 2010 and receive 10% on the following products:

Scarves, Bags, Notebooks, Homeware, Kids

Quote voucher code WFT2010 on checkout page, and discount will be refunded after purchase. This offer is valid until 10^th May 2010.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

www.cosmicstore.co.uk