Fair Trade

Earth Divas as a brand is just getting started. But as a company, we have been making handmade, fair-trade, natural fiber goods since 2004. We have learned a great deal in the last few years, and the items we make in partnership with the artisans have improved dramatically in terms of both design and production quality. We are very excited about the progress we’ve made but even more optimistic about what the future holds.

Earth Divas practices and exceeds the fair-trade standards and principles set by various fair trade organizations. The Earth Divas brand was trademarked in January 2008 and the website is launching in February of 2008. Our next step is to apply for certification with the Fair Trade Federation and we hope to be certified by mid to late 2008.

Fair Trade is a term that is often used and sometimes abused. Certifications, compliance and interpretations of what is fair vary greatly from country to country, industry to industry and company to company. We feel it is important to take a second and share our perspective on fair trade.

At Earth Divas fair trade is fundamental to everything we do. Is it the basis of our business and our primary purpose of doing business. We are a small company and we contract out many of the internal operations such as warehousing, packing and shipping, accounting, and first level customer support. As the owner of Hemp Sisters and Earth Divas for the last four years, I have never paid myself a salary or taken any money out of the business. My goal is to provide a great product at a great price with the highest level of customer service. For me, the people that make the items for us come first. And as a company we do everything we can to help them in as many ways as we can.

Today we work with small women-owned businesses and working women’s cooperatives in Nepal, Thailand and Columbia . Eventually we hope to work with similar groups throughout the developing world. We work directly with the people that make the items. I visit Nepal once or twice a year and work closely with the artisans on designs, sourcing of materials and fittings, improving production methods and overcoming the inherent constraints and obstacles they face on a day-to-day basis. We provide item samples to assist with new designs, we help source fittings such as buckles and zippers, and we share customer feedback in an effort to improve the overall quality.

I work directly with the people that make the items and pay them directly. Other larger companies, because of their size, frequently use a middleman and are not able to have the close working relationship with the artisan community that we have. This aspect of our business is the most rewarding, and it is something that will always be a key component of what we do.

A major factor, in my opinion, of what is fair trade and what is not, is the effort required to work directly with the people that make the items and to pay them directly so the money goes directly into their pockets and not a middleman who has created a nice website. The price we pay is based on the time it takes to make the item, how complicated it is to make, and the material costs. A coin purse is much easier than a backpack or handbag and many more can be made in an hour. We know that the rates we pay are at least 15% to 25% higher than what the person would earn for making a similar item if they were working for someone else or working in a factory doing a similar task. As a company, we have not yet reached profitability, but when we do, we will contribute back to the artisan communities at least 10% of the profits that we generate. And one day, I may take a salary.

Is Earth Divas are Fair Trade Company?

Yes. All Earth Divas items are fair trade. Additionally, we hope to be certified fair trade by mid to late 2008.

What is Fair Trade?

Fair trade is a system that not only aims to pay fair wages, but also to support participatory workplaces; ensure environmental sustainability; supply financial and technical support; respect cultural identity, offer public accountability, and educate consumers about the choices that they can make in their regular shopping habits. Fair trade businesses foster long-term and direct relationships with producers in the developing world, because they know these connections are a highly effective way to help producers help themselves. Fair trade is not about charity; it uses a fair system of exchange to empower producers and to create sustainable development.

What does that really mean?

First and foremost, fair trade is about offering great products to the public. Consumers can choose fairly traded clothing, coffee, food, furniture, home décor, house wares, jewelry, tea, toys, personal accessories, and many other products.

Second, fair trade is about keeping prices affordable for consumers while returning a higher amount to the producers. This relationship is made by possible, because fair trade retailers and wholesalers typically work directly with artisans and farmers, cutting out the middle men who increase the price at each level – enabling retail products to remain competitively priced in respect to their conventional counterparts, while fairly compensating producers.

Finally, fair trade makes a tremendous impact on producer communities. Children’s school fees are paid, nutritional needs met, health care costs covered by producers themselves; the poor, especially women, are empowered; the environmental impact is mitigated; all of these benefits are possible, because fair trade approaches development as a holistic process.