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What kind of a shop are we?
We are both a Fair Trade shop and an eco-shop, which is why we sell both Fairtrade mark goods, fairly-traded products and environmentally-friendly things.All our gifts, jewellery, bags, clothes, food, toys, rugs, bedspreads, lamps, incense, cards & handmade wrapping paper are either fairly traded or Fairtrade (more on this difference below).
Everything else – Ecover, toiletries, recycled toilet paper & kitchen roll – is environmentally-friendly in some way. We are also a not-for-profit company (Earth Matters Ltd).
Are we part of a chain/owned by the Fairtrade group?
No! Earth Matters is independently owned and run by Earth Matters Ltd, a not-for-profit company. This is the only shop we have. We are, however, a member of BAFTS, the British Association of Fairtrade Shops – they don’t have any say in the running of our shop, but as members we are committed to buying a certain percentage of our products from fairly-trading producers. It provides a network of contacts with other Fair Trade shops and a list of suppliers.
What’s the difference between Fairtrade and fairly-traded?
(and what are the Fairtrade Foundation, FLO, Ifat & BAFTS?)
The Fairtrade Mark is only available for certain products (mainly food, but also now: cotton, roses, footballs) – there is a very strict set of criteria for each product that bears the mark. The reason why not everything can qualify for the mark is that there are slightly different criteria for each product (e.g. the minimum recommended price, working conditions etc for cocoa in one country is different from coffee in another) so it takes a while to develop the list of criteria for each product and then assess applicants. However, the list of products that can have the mark is slowly growing. FLO is the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation, an international body that overseas the use of the Fairtrade Mark. The Fairtrade Foundation is the British branch of this and promotes Fairtrade in the UK.
For products that do not yet have a set of criteria for the Fairtrade Mark, including those, like crafts, that are too complex probably to ever be given criteria, the term fairly-traded can be used. Suppliers that follow fair-trading principles can join Ifat (International Federation for Alternative Trade) and be listed by BAFTS (British Association of Fairtrade Shops) for the information of Fair Trade Shops. (Ifat is an organisation for the importers/suppliers, BAFTS is a membership of shops.)
In Earth Matters, almost all of the food is Fairtrade (the exceptions to this are items that do not yet have criteria for the mark, but they are still fairly-traded from trusted companies like Traidcraft). Some of the clothes are made from Fairtrade cotton (organic) but all the clothes are fairly-traded (in their production). Our footballs are also Fairtrade, and Ethletic shoes have started using Fairtrade cotton (as well as FSC latex – and, of course, they are fairly-traded too). All gifts, jewellery, bags, rugs etc are fairly-traded (and Bishopston Trading cotton items are all made with Fairtrade cotton too).
Where do our products come from?
Sometimes people think we get all our products from a central supplier, or we go out and source them directly from the producers ourselves. Neither is the case – some of the eco-friendly products come direct from the supplier (Green People, for example), some come from a wholesaler. The Fairtrade food comes from various suppliers – some from wholesalers, some direct from Traidcraft. The fairly-traded goods all come direct from importers (or suppliers) – these are companies that work directly with producer groups around the world (and most are listed by BAFTS – see above). Some of these importers are large companies, some are just one person. A lot of the products come from India (particularly clothes and textiles – rugs, cushions etc) but we also have products from Africa, South America, Mexico, Nepal, Sri Lanka.
How much (or what percentage) of the final cost do the farmers/producers receive?
This is a difficult question to answer because, essentially, it rather misses the point. Firstly, it depends on the product, secondly it’s only meaningful if compared to what other (non-fairtrade) producers of the same product receive, thirdly, the retail price is not set by the Fairtrade Foundation but by us (or other shops or suppliers), and lastly and most importantly, it is not essentially what Fairtrade is about. The Fairtrade mark guarantees that the producers receive a fair price – this means that it covers the costs of sustainable production & living, and includes a premium that producers can invest in development (there is also criteria about establishing a long-term relationship, giving advance payments when needed & providing contracts). Because of varying exchange rates and the cost of living in different countries, there is no one standard ‘percentage’. If you talk about exact monetary amounts (even if we had that information about every product, which we don’t), it would mean little to the customer without knowing what that buys in the producers’ country and how it compares to ‘normal’ prices for that product.
What does not-for-profit mean?
It doesn’t mean that we are not allowed to make a profit, it’s about what we do with any profit we make – basically, it goes back into the business or into the development of the aims of the company (promoting Fairtrade and environmental awareness) rather than to shareholders, or into the directors’ pockets.
What about local produce / British farmers – don’t they need Fairtrade too?
Fairtrade recognises that many farmers in the UK face similar issues as farmers elsewhere, however the Fairtrade system was set up specifically to deal with producers in developing countries where there is
often little infrastructural support, social security systems or other safety nets available. It was felt by the Fairtrade Foundation that extending the system to British farmers would complicate and confuse the principles of Fairtrade. As most Fairtrade products are not produced in Britain, buying Fairtrade does not preclude us from supporting local products too.
Why are our products (Ecover in particular) more expensive than in the supermarket?
This is mainly to do with buying power – the supermarkets can buy a huge quantity and thereby negotiate a better price. But with their own brand Fairtrade products, this is both to do with quantity and also that they’re not having to go through a wholesaler to get them. While this might seem a more direct way of buying Fairtrade, I would argue that the profits go to the supermarket (most of whose business is not done fairly) rather than to a small shop like ours, which aims primarily to support and promote Fairtrade. With Ecover, and in fact, all our toiletries and household goods, and most of the food, we charge the recommended retail price.
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