Purchase Power

What is fair trade? And why should we buy fair trade goods? Buying fair trade is a simple way to make a difference for people who make the things we love from other countries. It’s a way of doing business that enables farmers and workers to improve their lives and take more control of their future. Plus it empowers us to make purchases that support our values. Fair trade ensures better prices, decent working conditions, and a fair deal for farmers and workers in developing countries. They have a strong voice at every level of fair trade—from how they run their own organizations, to having an equal say in decision-making at the global level. Fair trade business practices are carefully designed to advance economic and social goals. As a consumer, it helps to know there are multiple organizations who use the term fair trade, but they are not all the same. For example, Fairtrade International is a global entity with Fairtrade America as its U.S. member organization. Fair Trade USA, however, is not a member of Fairtrade International. Fair Trade USA resigned from the global Fairtrade system in 2011. It has a different name spelling and a different logo. We do believe that by choosing fair trade goods, we can create change through our everyday actions; in addition, we also believe that fair trade certifications should go further to advance environmental goals. Mainly, why should fair trade evaluation occur from the beginning of the supply chain but stop before the end when it reaches us as consumers? Our buying power can compensate for this gap. Look for fair trade goods that have no packaging, 100% paper packaging, recycled packaging, and packaging that can be recycled. #LovetheEarth #welovetheearth #audiogram #circulareconomy #fairtrade #ReduceReuseRecycle #shopping #shopsustainable #sustainable

Do you know how to spot greenwashing? 

Greenwashing is the attempt to make people believe that a company is doing more to protect the environment than they really are. It happens most often in marketing on a company's own website, but also in interviews and advertisements.

Here's a quick exercise to hear some greenwashing in action. You’ll hear this as we model the process of a simple company search.

A good place to start is a company website. Let's use Synergy Kombucha made by GT’s Living Foods. On their website, they explain the benefits of using glass bottles for kombucha, but they don't mention the carbon footprint of their plastic caps.

They also claim that they will be zero-waste in 12 months—without mentioning a specific year or linking to details. Exactly how long has that statement been on their website? Sadly, that's an example of greenwashing.

Now, let's turn to the "Find a B Corp" directory on the B Lab website. B Lab is a nonprofit organization who develops a set of standards for B Corporations. B Corps demonstrate a verifiable commitment toward protecting people, communities, and the planet.

When we search for "kombucha" in the directory, Brew Dr. is one of the results. When we go to the Brew Dr. website, we find that they use metal caps instead of plastic ones. They also offer information on the stages of their carbon neutrality plan, with a goal to become carbon neutral in 2030.

More research could still be done at this point, especially when it comes to answering the 5 important questions we included in our previous post. However, we hope this exercise helps you identify greenwashing as you switch to more sustainable products.

#LovetheEarth #welovetheearth #audiogram #bcorp #bcorporation #circulareconomy #ReduceReuseRecycle #shopping #shopsustainable #sustainable #ZeroWaste