Green Cotton

The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) is an international campaign focused on improving working conditions in the global garment and sportswear industries and on empowering workers, most of whom are women. There are CCC coalitions in 12 European countries, backed by a broader, international network of trade unions and NGOs in garment producing countries (Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central America). The CCC also cooperates with similar campaigns
in the United States, Canada, and Australia.

The Clean Clothes Campaign educates and mobilizes consumers, lobbies companies and governments, and offers direct support to workers as they fight for their rights and demand better working conditions.

According to a new report released by CCC : Major global retailers Carrefour, Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, and Walmart are seeing massive profits and increasing market share in the garment sector, as workers in their supply chains face increasing poverty, appalling conditions, and serious workers rights violations.

The Clean Clothes Campaign insists that companies bear a responsibility and have the power to ensure that workers throughout their supply chains are treated fairly. The CCC has developed a “Code of Labour Practices for the Apparel Industry Including Sportswear” based upon the conventions of the United Nations’ International Labour Organization. The principles set forth in this code include, among others, a minimum employment age, safe working requirements, set working hours and right to a living wage.

So where should we buy our clothes?

Actually this question is difficult to answer, because CCC doesn’t have a list of recommended “clean” companies.
But they do know what companies should be doing to improve working conditions and ensure respect for workers’ human rights.

• They should adopt a comprehensive, credible and transparent code of conduct based on the international labour standards and human rights conventions.
• They must implement the code with provisions for monitoring, verification, remediation, ethical purchasing.
• They should participate in a credible multi-stakeholder initiative that involves companies, unions, NGOs.

For more about CCC recommendations, check out on www.cleanclothes.org

While October was officially Fair Trade month, Jute and Jackfruit is continuing to celebrate the cause by hosting an upcoming event that brings together several fair trade companies to delight and inform guests in the Cambridge area. On November 9th, they will host an eco-fashion and Fair Trade event in Cambridge, MA.

Jute and Jackfruit raises awareness on the importance of organic, fair trade and sustainable issues by delivering positive, simple messages about greening and making more ethical our every day lives.

At this upcoming event in Kendall Square, Jute and Jackfruit will present their latest ethical and sustainable clothing collections (including Indigenous Designs, Kelly Lane, Feral Childe and Rebe) as well as provide participants an opportunity to learn more about what it means to be fair trade and organic. Two other fair trade companies will be present to offer their perspectives as well, including free samples of their delicious products.

The participating Fair Trade companies include Dean’s Beans and Theo Chocolate. Each will demonstrate the quality of the products, discuss the ways in which they are fair trade, how they select their farms and more. Free samples of each product will of course also be available.

Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee Company is a 100% Fair Trade and Organic coffee and cocoa processor and wholesale distributor in Orange, Massachusetts, USA. Since 1993, Dean’s Beans has modeled how business can be a vehicle for positive social change while being profitable at the same time. Besides paying above fair prices for all of its coffee and cocoa, Dean’s Beans works directly with the grower communities to address needed social, economic and environmental concerns prioritized by the farmers (largely made up of indigenous peoples working hard to maintain their culture and lifestyles).

Dean’s Beans provides people-centered development design and funding for the communities in such areas as education, clean water and alternative income generation. The company’s business practices have been recognized by the United Nations and the Specialty Coffee Association of America.

How does Dean’s Beans make the difference?

Dean’s Beans promotes local empowerment and self-reliance through their Fair Trade purchases and their work with local grassroots development and human rights groups. The company also sponsors projects here at home with disenfranchised communities such as Native Americans, the homeless and disabled, and many other groups trying to improve their lives and that of their communities. Every cup you drink and every pound you buy contributes directly to the welfare of coffee growers and consumers.

Each player in the cycle of production and distribution, from the farmer to the consumer, participates in socially just and environmentally responsible trade. Each coffee batch they roast also comes from a unique place and society. For example, Dean’s Beans offers the first certified Organic Fair Trade coffee from Brazil. The grower’s cooperative, Association of Small Producers of Poco Fundo, is an amazing, dynamic group of farmers that has been working since 1985 to gain international accreditation for their work in organics and to be accepted on the fair trade registry. The group’s mission is to improve the social, economic and ecological conditions of the families of Poco Fundo, a small municipality of 15,000 people, located in the southern part of the state of Minas Gerais. This has required an amazing commitment of time, energy and money on the farmer’s part.

Moreover, Dean’s Beans is thankful for being a founding member of Cooperative Coffees, the first roaster’s cooperative created to buy direct, Fair Trade coffee from farmer coops, and make it available to any small roaster who wants to participate in the Fair Trade movement. They are also active members of the Fair Trade Federation, an international organization of dedicated Fair Traders.

Located in Seattle, Washington, Theo Chocolate Company is the first and currently the only organic, Fair Trade Certified roaster of cacao in the United States, sourcing cacao from small farmers in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Panama, Ghana, Madagascar, Venezuela, and the Ivory Coast. Theo’s small team is guided by a passion for chocolate, care for the environment, and dedication to enriching the lives of everyone involved, including cacao farmers and chocolate lovers.

The founder, Joseph Whinney, pioneered the supply of organic cocoa beans into the United States in 1994.
As true chocolate makers, Theo Chocolate takes carefully selected cacao from bean to bar in their own factory, roasting, blending and conching to coax out the distinctive flavor imparted by each growing region. The result is superb artisinally made chocolate with real integrity. Whether you enjoy the 3400 Phinney line of chocolate bars, each “kicked up” with something extra, or prefer the pure cacao interpretations of single-origin and blended Theo chocolate bars, you’ll surely find a very enjoyable tasting experience.

In addition to being ethically-driven, all-natural, and public-friendly, Theo’s offers deliciously inventive chocolate. Classic flavors include orange, mint, cherry-almond, and chili; whereas Theo’s fantasy flavors include Coconut Curry , Coffee and Vanilla, Nib Brittle and Fig Fennel Almond. There’s also the 3400 Phinney Bar (named after the factory address in Fremont), which is milk chocolate liquor mixed with toasted and salted bread bits sourced from a local bakery.

Jute and Jackfruit will be showcasing their fair trade and organic Indigenous Designs collection as well as elements of their Kelly Lane and feral childe collections at the event. All clothing is made from organic and sustainable fabrics, handcrafted, and ethically made. They will also present several of their recycled handbag collections such as Escama Studios, recycled soda pull tab bags and recycled candy wrapper bags.

If you would like to join in on this event in Cambridge, MA email customerservice[at]juteandjackfruit.com to get on the guest list. The event is free. For more information you may also call 781-859-5232

October is Fair Trade month, a time to celebrate fair wages and healthy, safe working conditions for artisans and farmers around the world. This campaign, sponsored by TransFair USA, the only third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States, is about letting your friends, family and coworkers know what a big difference Fair Trade makes in the lives of small farmers and farm workers throughout the world. So come and join in on the fun this month and add a few Fair trade purchases to your everyday shopping list.

What better month for Fair Trade Month to be, too because Halloween is just around the corner and we all know what that means: lots of chocolate. Chocolate is one of the most popular fair trade products available on the market, so what better opportunity that this to exercise your Fair Trade convictions and buy Fair Trade chocolate. (Stay tuned for our Halloween post on buying Fair Trade chocolate coming soon!).

What is Fair Trade?
Fair Trade Certification empowers farmers and farm workers to lift themselves out of poverty by investing in their farms and communities, protecting the environment, and developing the business skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace.
Fair Trade is much more than a fair price. Fair Trade principles include:
-    Democratically organized farmer groups receive a guaranteed minimum floor price and an additional premium for certified organic products. Farmer organizations are also eligible for pre-harvest credit.
-    Workers on Fair Trade farms enjoy freedom of association, safe working conditions, and living wages. Forced child labor is strictly prohibited.
-    With Fair Trade, importers purchase from Fair Trade producer groups as directly as possible, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering farmers to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace.
-    Democratic and transparent organizations: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers decide democratically how to invest Fair Trade revenues.
-    Community development: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers invest Fair Trade premiums in social and business development projects like scholarship programs, quality improvement trainings, and organic certification.
-    Environmental sustainability: Harmful agrochemicals and GMOs are strictly prohibited in favor of environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmers’ health and preserve valuable ecosystems for future generations.
It is all about encourage environmentally sustainable business practices and prohibits the abuse of child slave labor.

What products are Fair Trade?

You can find almost everything. From sugar to tea, herbs, spices, coffee, grains, cotton, nuts, honey, cocoa, fruits and vegetables…

What is the impact of Fair Trade?

For Luis Adauto de Oliveira , Coopfam in Minas Gerais, Brazil. (Photo above) .
“Fair Trade has given us the ability to grow coffee the way it should be grown – sustainably, organically and with great concern for quality.  Our families are fed, our children are in school, and now we can tend to the coffee and the environment.”

So now what can we do to support Fair Trade?
-    Look for the Fair Trade Certified Label, and buy Fair Trade coffee, tea, chocolate, rice, sugar and other products when possible
-     Serve free Fair Trade coffee and chocolate to customers
-    If you don’t see Fair Trade products in your local shop, ask for them!
-    Host a Fair Trade House party to raise awareness.
-    Serve Fair Trade products at your house of worship.

www.fairtrademonth.org provides you everything to celebrate the Fair Trade month: banners, widget, twitter, facebook, flickr…For example, by adding the Fair Trade Month widget to your page or blog, you can keep up with each new way to support fair trade.
At Jute and Jackfruit we are devoted to conserving natural resources, investing in communities and contributing to the environment and sustainability. In August 2009, Green America just accepted Jute and Jackfruit into their approved network of businesses committed to social and environmental responsibility and we are also a supporter of “Fair Trade the White House” campaign, whose goal is to invite Michelle Obama to join the Fair Trade movement by declaring the White House a “Fair Trade Home”.

Spread the word!

By: Julie Finkel