<
https://www.positive.news/society/fairtrade-certification-changed-the-way-we-shop-where-is-it-headed-now/>
"When Ruchi Chawla first started working in fashion and textiles in the early
2000s, Ugg boots, miniskirts, and bandanas were wardrobe staples. It was also
the start of a new era for ethical trade; following the creation of the
Fairtrade Foundation in 1992, officially certified products began to hit UK
shelves in 1994. Green and Black’s chocolate bars were the first, and other
products slowly followed. Fairtrade cotton started to appear in 2005.
It was a different time back then, says Chawla. “I had friends in Brussels,
Amsterdam, who didn’t know what cotton is. [They’d ask]: ‘It’s a plant? Oh,
really, cotton is a plant?’”
Sourcing products for large brands, she quickly became disillusioned. “Two
things stayed with me, even after I quit those jobs: chemicals are all around
us – we are literally wearing chemicals – and [workers] are not treated
properly. There was no concept of fair, living wages at that time. You could
just see [workers] were really struggling.”
So, when she decided to launch her own organic brand, Cottsbury, Fairtrade
certification was non-negotiable. “Fairtrade really means that workers have
those regular hours, they’re given their due salaries and bonuses. And,
specifically, women are paid, they’re treated as somebody who is working, not
just like some helper hanging around. That’s Fairtrade.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
