Fair Trade Products

Here at Roots we wanted to make a difference. We wanted to support projects and companies that are actively working with producers to improve their quality of life. Here’s a few facts about the companies that we deal with:

Ascension Clothing – Click here for Ascension products

“It's not easy finding wind powered factories in India that make T-shirts. It's not easy getting approval from SKAL or the Soil Association for your products and the places they're produced. But that's what we did and that's why we're content when we kick off our slippers and curl up at night.

We're also feeling pretty happy with ourselves because we've managed to do this without inflating our prices. In fact, we actually donate 10% of our gross profit (i.e. before we've paid our wages and topped up the biscuit tin) to charity and still maintain what we believe are highly competitive prices.”

Namaste – Click here for Namaste products

“In developing markets, such as Nepal, Indonesia and Thailand, we deal with only primary producers. Many do not have the capital to be able to fulfil the order, so we make an advance payment for materials, workers and whatever else is necessary. In 2002 we provided our Nepalese clothing supplier with a large advance for him to buy land, machinery and the building for a new cotton knitting workshop. These advance payments have enabled him to survive despite bad debt problems with other Western customers.

All Namaste suppliers ensure that their workers are paid a fair price per piece, which is above the national average, and men and women are paid the same rate. Namaste products all use azo-free dyes. These create a safer working environment and are better for the environment in general. Many of our products are made entirely from recycled materials, which are used wherever possible”.

Gringo – Click here for Gringo products

“Gringo is a clothing, accessory and giftware company, based in the relaxed seaside city of Swansea, supplying customers throughout the UK and Europe. We only buy directly from small scale producers, such as family businesses and co-operatives, who we have visited in person and checked they meet our Fair Trade criteria. This ensures our products are fairly sourced, as by cutting out the middle men, the profit goes directly to the suppliers. We also try to keep a continuation of supply by buying from the same suppliers, which gives the families and their workers confidence to have some control over their lives, without the threat of unemployment and poverty.

In Bali alone we produce with over 30 small family run businesses, and some of these we have been working with for more than 15 years, and a strong bond of trust and partnership has evolved between us. Through this bond, and by always visiting all the suppliers personally at least twice a year, we have helped them install better conditions for their workers. These include paying the workers a fair wage, a clean and safe working environment, sufficient lighting, adequate breaks, never using child labour and breaks for religious holidays and festivals. Our suppliers have come to realise that when their workers are happy everyone benefits. Gringo always pay their suppliers a 30% deposit when the order is placed, then the balance prior to the goods being shipped. Many recycled fabrics are also used in our designs and production, plus we always try to source local materials and fabrics and keep environmental pollution to a minimum.”

Epona – Click here for Epona products

“Epona is one of the first UK companies to make clothing using fairtrade certified cotton. The FAIRTRADE Mark guarantees that our cotton producers are given a fair and stable price, set by the Fairtrade Foundation, a Fairtrade Premium to invest in social and environmental projects, the means to develop sustainable methods of farming avoiding pesticide use, and the opportunity to work with other farmers in democratic co-operatives.

Our products are aimed at a fashion-conscious generation that demands style, quality and value, but who also want to ensure their clothing has been ethically produced.”

Traidcraft – Click here for Traidcraft products

“Our mission is to fight poverty through trade, practising and promoting approaches to trade that help poor people in developing countries transform their lives. Established in 1979 as a Christian response to poverty, we combine a trading company and a development charity. We build lasting relationships with producers, support people to trade out of poverty and work to bring about trade justice.

Traidcraft is committed to working in new and innovative ways. We have been working in the fair trade area since 1979 and have been influential in changing the way other businesses work. Our vision is a world freed from the scandal of poverty, where trade is just and people and communities can flourish.”

Skeleton Leaf – Click here for Skeleton Leaf products

"Skeleton Leaf operates a gender equity policy, ensuring that women’s work is valued and rewarded. We only deal with suppliers that pay ALL staff regardless of gender and that ALL staff are empowered within their organization. We provide assistance for cash advances and consistent purchases to enable the craftsmen to grow and sustain production. We assist them in quality control of their products so that they can ensure sustainable pricing and earn consistent incomes. We promote fair-trading that empowers local communities for a better living environment. We actively promote and encourage better environmental practices. All products reflect the sensations of the rich cultural tradition and heritage of Thailand, Egypt and Africa. Many of our craftsmen have had no or little education, but their crafts depict the blessing of their skill they have had from above."

Mulberry Paper – Notebooks, Photo Albums & Frames, Mobiles

The Origins Of Natural Hand-Crafted Mulberry Paper - "Over 600 years ago in the mountains of North-Eastern Burma, the Karen hill-tribe people discovered a remarkable bark that naturally peeled from the trunk of a broad leafed tree at the end of every rainy season. So began the craft of making natural paper without destroying or cutting down the trees. The Karen villagers called this the ‘Saa’ tree or in English, the Mulberry Tree.

For the last hundred years, hill-tribe paper makers have been practising their craft in the neighbouring mountains of Northern Thailand. They still use natural dyes and lay their paper in the sun to dry, as did their ancestors centuries ago. This has now spawned a thriving cottage industry which helps save and not deplete these beautiful tall mountain trees."

The images show beating barks into a pulp (1), forming pulp into sheets (2), laying in the sun to dry (3), decorating final product (4). We stock a good range of mulberry paper products, they are all fairly traded and include notebooks, photo albums, photo frames, trinket boxes and mobiles.

 

What is Fairtrade?

Many farmers and workers in developing countries struggle to provide for their families. Poor market access and unfair trade rules often mean that the price they get for their crop does not cover the cost of production. Fairtrade is a rapidly growing international movement which seeks to guarantee a better deal for farmers and workers in the developing world. A product that is Fairtrade certified carries a label, the FAIRTRADE mark.

Fairtrade changes lives! By changing to fair-trade certified products you can make a real difference to the lives of workers and farmers in developing countries. As well as guaranteeing producer organisations a fair and stable price for their products that covers the cost of production, they also receive a social premium; extra money that has to be spent on community projects.

What about Ethical Products? Currently only food and cotton products can carry the fairtrade mark. Products sold on the Roots web pages that carry this fairtrade mark are clearly identified. There are, however, a huge range of products that are traded fairly. We work closely with our suppliers and can guarantee that at the heart of these companies is a desire to make a difference to people’s lives by not only paying a fair, above average price, but also by ensuring the following:

• No Child Labour
• Economic Stability
• No Sweat Shops
• Environmental Awareness

Many of us are becoming more aware that we are consuming the Earths’ resources at an incredible rate, with little or no thought for where this will leave us in the coming years. Our systems of trade, and demand for cheap goods, ensure that many workers, farmers and producers around the world often receive less for their goods than the cost of production. Many are forced to work in horrific conditions, and children are known to be sold into this system to make the goods that we demand, at a price we’re willing to pay.

For more information visit The Fairtrade Foundation – www.fairtrade.org.uk