Sustainable Action Leadership

Collaboration-Competitors Join Forces To Save Energy

Coke, Nestle, Others to Share Shipping Routes

as reported by Sustainable Life Media

June 19, 2008 – Some of the U.K.’s biggest food and drink companies, including Coca-Cola, Nestle, and Coors, have agreed to share space in shipping trucks in an effort to reduce the costs and environmental impacts of product transport, Food Production Daily reports.

The new Sustainable Distribution initiative, spearheaded by food industry think-tank IGD, has so far attracted 37 corporate partners. The program will remove about 800 delivery trucks from British roads and save 23 million liters of diesel fuel this year, IGD estimates.

"In a highly competitive industry, getting 37 companies working together in this way is very innovative and results so far are impressive," says IGD president and CEO of Nestle U.K. Alastair Sykes.

The truck-sharing scheme was piloted last year by Nestle and United Biscuits, which have boosted efficiency in their distribution networks by enlisting United Biscuits trucks to pick up a load of Nestle products each day, reducing the number of empty truck runs. The concept of supply chain collaboration – even among companies within the same industry – appears to be gaining some acceptance. A recent report from the Global Commerce Initiative recommends a new supply chain model in which companies work together to improve environmental and social performance while cutting costs and ensuring an uninterrupted supply line.

 

How Green Is Your Brand?

Posted here New York Times
How Green Is Your Brand?

Sustainable brands. A term soon to join the lexicon of perfect oxymorons, like jumbo shrimp and plastic glasses, but for now the title of a four-day annual conference in Monterey, Calif., referred to by those in the know as “SB08.”

The corporate-logo-covered banner at the conference entrance was straight out of NASCAR, as SB08 had garnered sponsorship from the likes of the Gap, Hewlett Packard, Advanced Micro Devices, Clorox, General Electric, Deloitte and Sun Microsystems, as well as smaller companies like Lunar Design, Mohawk Fine Papers, Seventh Generation and Fetzer Vineyards. Conference presenters touched on topics from safer fish to smarter supply chains, consumer attitudes to crowd-sourcing. This breadth of participation is something to applaud; many of these companies wouldn’t have seen the merit of attending, let alone sponsoring, a sustainability conference in years past.

One bit of information that was driven home by speakers again and again (though it offers a blinding glimpse of the obvious): most people say they want to do the right thing when making purchasing decisions but not all people actually do. Similar gems were offered, i.e., consumers make decisions based on price and convenience.

Now, no one needs to attend a conference to learn that. Do they? During many of the presentations, I was disheartened by the degree to which eco-aspects have to be separated and called out, rather than be built-in, integral and inherent to a product, service or philosophy. It would be great to see more products and services serve a true environmental need rather than see so many emerge from companies jumping on a savvy marketing opportunity.

I also wonder why so much sustainable stuff, from shoes to canned goods, still isn’t really allowed a true design sensibility; is some degree of (whole) grain of hippie-ness really necessary? Take the rugged footwear of one SB08 presenter, Keen: do they really need something called a vegan sandal? Even their own vice president of marketing admitted that Keen’s shoes didn’t match the dress she was wearing while presenting at the conference that day..

But wait, back to the positive stuff: the fact that companies like Dow Chemical willingly participated illustrates that the fear of even approaching the idea of sustainable design and strategy is evaporating. It is heartening to see that all manner of companies are paying serious attention to things like supply chain, packaging, distribution, authenticity and transparency in thoughtful ways.

Not to say that greenwashing (in which consumers are misled regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service) has gone away, because it sure hasn’t — though it was fascinating to learn in one study that 83 percent of consumers are unfamiliar with the term. When oil companies re-brand themselves as green companies, when hotels slap on sea-foam green paint (non-toxic, at least) and market themselves as “eco,” when car models are erroneously marketed as less carbon-emitting than they really are, that’s greenwashing.

So, sure, there was a little greenwashing going on at SB08 (gathering large groups of people from around the county in one remote location is a little less than green). But what I came away with after hearing about these companies’ myriad sustainable missions, goals and platforms is:

(1) Finally! Glad they are paying attention.

(2) Wow. The green envelope needs to be pushed further. A lot further.

Some 2,670 new green products were introduced in 2006; the number has almost doubled since then.

Huh?

Making more stuff — no matter how green that stuff is — will not really help combat global warming or reduce our collective carbon footprint. Companies need to produce things and need to make money by selling them — understood — but to me, the idea of simply creating more (albeit greener) product is pretty much on par with lowering gas prices as a solution to skyrocketing oil costs. When will we consider behavior? When we will commit to innovation?

Sustainable solution? That’s no oxymoron.

To read the complete article click on the link at the top of the post.

Greening Education........Part II of II

The Green Key to Corporate Sustainability Success

by Coral Rose

In part one Andrew Winston addressed the integration of higher education and its role in the education of tomorrows sustainability leaders.He also defined the groundswell of students that are interested in making decisions, of where they will seek employment  based on a mindset of good for business and good for the environment.

“A global talent strain and shortage is in the works across many industries. How will companies compete if they don’t attract and retain the best people?” Andrew Winston

The question is what do we do about today’s sustainability leaders those already a part of your team and organization?

How do you integrate sustainability into your organization as a ‘core’ business strategy?

The path to Sustainability is sequentially a four fold path;

1. Awareness
2. Education
3. Strategy
4. Action

A clear gap in the Corporate Sustainability Arena is the need for Executive Education. Companies are going green-in many cases without a clear vision, strategy and plan to execute where they are going.

This eco-opportunistic, un-educated GREEN rush to market by wholesalers and retailers in one case saw the retailer, Lululemon Athletica make unwanted headlines in the New York Times, about the validity/credibility of a new so-called eco/sustainable fabric. We have seen other companies shift rapidly from step 1. Awareness to step 4. Action with consequences.

The Executive Education Gap falls into four buckets:

1. Initial Sustainability training and education for current employees/associates.

2. Continuing Education programs for those retained employees.

3. Addressing employee turnover-continually educating 'new' employees.

4. A shift in recruitment, candidate screening and overall ‘new hire’ thoughts, ideas and practices.

Organizations can address 1-3, by integrating sustainability as a core curriculum to your existing training curriculum.. Organizations that do not have a ‘training' branch-the option is to hire sustainability professionals or utilize Executive Education Programs. Executive Education programs can also be utilized to 'train the trainer.'

Executive Education Programs:

• The University of Arkansas, Sam Walton School of Business Sustainability Leadership Program Is a program that I helped design, create and deliver, where participants  study the sustainability movement, and how ethical, social and environmental issues are being addressed and integrated into core business strategies by multi-national corporations.

The course examines the role of design in products and processes. Emphasis is placed on gaining new insights to the sustainability paradigm shift, creating  practical solutions and strategies for a sustainable future as experienced through the "lens" of sustainability.

Participants also explore supply chain issues with emphasis on sourcing transparency, product integrity, standards, certification & labeling regulations, consumer marketing and telling an authentic, compelling story.

• The Presidio School of Management has created  5-month (weekend) program modeled after their MBA program in Sustainable Managment; Executive Program in Sustainable Management to meet the specific needs of senior professionals.

Addressing #4- 'New hire’ thoughts, ideas and practices. Here I would suggest looking to the best practices in the industry.

What do organizations that already have sustainability ingrained into their organization do?

I have had several clients that fall into this area, and I can share with you some of what they practice.

The candidate selection and interview process is not only about skill set, experience, and past successes. The interview process digs deep into the values, beliefs and the big question are they practicing sustainability in their personal life--and in what ways? Specific examples of how they are practicing sustainability are key.

There is no distinction between who we are at home and who we are when we walk through the doors of our office, many people believe they are two people--one at home and one at the office? isn't that a bit absurd, unless you have multiple personality disorder. I have a newsflash---YOU ARE THE SAME PERSON--we bring our core beliefs and values to the office--it is at the core of who we are--but many people don't 'express' or perhaps are not comfortable expressing those values at the office.

That is the distinction--they are simply just not 'expressing' their values (why not? that is the topic for another post) Bottom line--this is NOT about being two different people.

Integrating Sustainability into your organization is a multi-faceted path-and requires strategic planning on how it is best executed in your company and culture.
 

Greening Education........Part I of II

Greener B-Schools, Greener Employees

Posted on Harvard Business Online: Living Green

by Andrew Winston on May 30, 2008 8:43 AM

As an opening post on Harvard Business.org, I figure no topic could be more appropriate than the change happening at Harvard, among other places. I’m talking about the big shift in what business schools are teaching students and, more importantly, what those future business leaders want from their employers. According to a recent article in Newsweek, B-school’s are greening their curricula. Students are learning how to weave environmental thinking into core business strategy and they’re looking to apply it in the real world.

This isn’t idle academic stuff. Top talent is increasingly demanding more from employers. As a survey run by Hill & Knowlton revealed, up to 40% of MBAs in some countries won’t take a great offer from a company with a poor environmental reputation, and half don’t even want to work in environmentally-challenged sectors like energy or autos.

My work – writing, talks, and advising corporations – focuses heavily on what’s driving companies to seek green strategies and how to profit from these forces. A big part of the story is about stakeholder pressure, from innovative NGOs to shifting regulatory environments to B2B customers greening the supply chain to shifting consumer preferences. But I return again and again to employees because I believe that no stakeholder group is more important. A global talent strain and shortage is in the works across many industries. How will companies compete if they don’t attract and retain the best people?

But companies should not think that the MBAs who are learning more about green business are only the ones with a deep moral commitment to the environment (and there are plenty), or that they are only looking to work for green-focused companies, such as Patagonia in the U.S. or IKEA in Europe. One of the most fascinating parts of the Newsweek piece is the opening profile of Ash Upadhyaya, a Stanford MBA from India. Even though he’s been studying sustainable business, Ash wants to work for a private-equity firm and says, "Am I really driven to do this by my values? The honest answer is no…It just makes good business sense to be sustainable."

This profound shift in perception from seeing green as a moral cause to green as good business is the real story here – it explains why b-schools are covering it so much more, and why large portions of the student community are on board. It’s a great thing for the planet that more employees see green as a core strategic issue, no matter what your company does (even perhaps private equity). I’m optimistic that planet- and market-changing innovation will be coming from these fresh new minds.

But I’m not optimistic for the companies that don’t make the shift and actively court the new talent. Another theme in my work is that green isn’t really optional anymore. With resource constraints a harsh reality, you get leaner and greener, or die. And that culling of the weakest in the herd will go much faster when the best people stop coming to work.

The lesson here is simple: without a clear commitment to sustainability, a strong message and tactics that bring that commitment to life, and measurable results, you will be unable to compete for talent in the coming years. In fact, you may already be at a significant disadvantage.

Andrew Winston helps companies use environmental thinking to grow and prosper. He is co-author of the best-seller Green to Gold.

What Does it Really Mean to Take a Stand?

We sometimes think of taking a stand as.......making a declaration for or against something, forming a resolution or perhaps choosing a side.

Werner Erhard distinguishes taking a stand from all of these.

He defines taking a a stand as:

“A powerful way of being that can enable an individual to have an impact in the course of humanity.”

With sustainability, more of us are integrating personal values into business, or should I say are not fearful of "taking a stand" for future generations-"taking a stand" is also more effective when utilized in creating teams.

......."We Can Solve It"  or The We Campaign is another way that Al Gore is taking a stand, his stand for Climate Change is the stuff of which Werner Erhards definition is made of.

"The We Campaign is a project of The Alliance for Climate Protection -- a nonprofit, nonpartisan effort founded by Nobel laureate and former Vice President Al Gore. Our ultimate aim is to halt global warming. Specifically we are educating people in the US and around the world that the climate crisis is both urgent and solvable."

Better Get Efficient...and Fast

by Andrew Winston (posted here)

It's pretty clear that the business world is facing dramatic change driven by environmental concerns. Over the coming years and decades, we're going to change the entire energy system and find new ways to design, make, ship, sell, and consume things. While it's uncertain if quality of life will suffer (and I hope not), the quantity of resources used will change dramatically - e.g., using a lot less energy, or at least carbon-driven energy, to power our lives.

And this change is becoming a business imperative regardless of whether you buy the climate change argument (and I really don't want to open that can of worms from my last post ). Just looking at the high price of everything from metals to food to fuels, the case for being radically more resource efficient is getting clearer every day. What's also clear is that the world can't currently provide for what will be nine or ten billion people who all want our lifestyle (the government of China has set a goal of moving half its population into the middle class by 2020 - that's 600 million people; if they all use oil at our rate, China alone will need more than the world produces by 2030 or so). At current technologies and modes of production, there isn't enough stuff. So there's a business need and a system overload requirement that we innovate and do more with less.

But don't just take my word for it...............................

The Wall Street Journal ran a stunning article recently that I've been mulling over for awhile and needed to get my head around. It was titled, "New Limits to Growth Revive Malthusian Fears." The shocking part of this article was the fact that it didn't malign the idea that we may run out of things, which Milton Friedman-esque business people have been laughing at for 200 years (since Thomas Malthus first drew an exponential population chart plotted against a geometric resource growth chart and said we'd all starve). Yes, those doomsayers have been very wrong in critical ways, mainly related to our ability to innovate and substitute out of products when we found new options (like from whale oil to kerosene to oil).

But the Journal was deadly serious, talking about resources like water that we can't substitute our way out of. The related point was that there's really nothing left to substitute to -- we know where pretty much everything is. Two quotes were fascinating: "Record highs in the prices for oil, wheat, copper...are signs of a lasting shift in demand as yet unmatched by supply". The "as yet" is a big qualifier, but it feels a bit like wishful thinking, especially given the second quote from ConocoPhillips CEO James Mulva: "I don't think we are going to see the [oil] supply going over 100 million barrels a day, and the reason is: Where is all that going to come from?" So even the oil CEOs are telling us there's not enough stuff.

So what does this mean for business and how is it connected to the green movement? First, rising prices for nearly everything mean we're entering the big leagues. Whether you call it "green" or "eco-efficiency" doesn't matter; either way, all the efficiency tools we have - such as total quality, lean manufacturing, six sigma - are going to be put to the test. If your company has a knack for cutting out waste and reducing resource use, it will survive and thrive. If you can't reduce your reliance on fossil fuels in your whole value chain - from sourcing to manufacturing to distribution - you may be in trouble.

Second, if you can offer a new "supply" to help bolster that side of the Econ 101 curves, you will have a giant market to satisfy (those billions of consumers). And I'm talking about smart supply growth, not the corn ethanol kind that actually exacerbates all of our problems. I'm talking new low-carbon energy, water saving technologies and processes, good design principles, building efficiency, and on and on.

The mad race for renewable energy technologies and the dramatic shift in car offerings are good examples. The venture capital money flowing to new technologies easily recalls the Internet boom. But is this one a bubble? It might be, but these entrepreneurs are working to satisfy existing multi-trillion dollar energy and resource markets, not trying to create new markets or needs. So money from the biggest, smartest names in Silicon Valley is flowing freely. This is a very good thing. There will be a shakeout, but some winners will win big.

As demand for resources outstrips supply, the Journal worried, what if countries just try to grab what's left in a big resource fight? Companies might go down a biggest is best path as well. But won't the best companies profit much more if they just find a way to need less? And won't the competitors that help their customers use less do extremely well?

Fair Trade-Organic Coffee........Part III of III

                      

Saving the planet one cup at a time…..

Café Bom Dia (click here) (Portuguese: "coffee good morning")

Café Bom Dia’s story began in 1895, when the Marques De Paiva family planted its first coffee seeds in Brazil’s lush tropical farmlands. The region’s legendary sun, mineral-rich soil and tropical mountains proved to be the perfect setting for growing for quality, low-acid coffees. Now a century later, Café Bom Dia is one of Brazil’s great coffee companies and a supplier to the world.

As fourth generation farmers, the family behind Café Bom Dia believes in protecting the earth and supporting small-scale, independent farmers.

Café Bom Dia uses locally available coffee tree and eucalyptus wood as renewable fuel for its roasting facility. As a participant in the USDA Forest Stewardship Program, Café Bom Dia plants back lumbered trees at the same rate to ensure reforestation.

Cafe Bom Dia's integrated tree to shelf approach means coffee travels fewer miles before reaching the retailer and we rely on recycled shipping pallets that may be reused at their global destination. These steps and an aggressive effort to measure, reduce and offset its CO2 emissions led to Café Bom Dia’s certification as the first CarbonNeutral® coffee company in the world.

In addition to our USDA Organics, Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade Certified ™ products, we are proud of our company-wide commitment to environmental and social movements.

Information as reported on Cafe Bom Dia's website click here.
 

Fair Trade-Organic Coffee........Part II of III

Coffee for a cause or known as, The “Cause” coffee market goes mainstream............... 

Q. Why would consumers care about making sure that they choose coffee that is Organic, Fair Trade or Fair Trade Organic?

A. Because, It takes one pound of chemical inputs to produce a pound of coffee.

Looking at these few facts, we should all be buying 'cause coffee'

• 108 million people in the U.S. drank coffee yesterday.

• At 2.3 billion pounds each year, Americans consume more coffee than any other nation. For every daily coffee drinker in the U.S., there is one worker elsewhere in the world who depends on coffee for his or her livelihood. 

• Of the 25 “biodiversity hotspots” identified by Conservation International, 13 overlap with coffee growing areas.

Its Good for business also..... 

The total US coffee market reached a value of $29.3 billion in 2006. 

Fair Trade coffee grew by 54% between 2001 and 2006, and now represents 2.2% of coffee sold in the US. Fair Trade certified, Rainforest Alliance certified and organic certified coffees all experienced substantial growth in 2006. 

Organic coffee sales were up 22.5% in 2006 to $109 million.  Organic coffees can also provide farmers with a premium ranging from $0.15 to $0.30 per pound, giving them an inducement to cultivate their crops in a sustainable way. 

Fair Trade coffee is  the largest segment of the cause coffee market in the US, representing an estimated 2.2% of total coffee sales in terms of value in the US, up from 1.9% in 2005 according to Datamonitor estimates. 78% of the Fair Trade coffee sold in the US is also Certified Organic. 

At present, 75% of Fair Trade certified coffee in the US market is supplied from Latin American countries, with Nicaragua and Mexico supplying 17% of total Fair Trade coffee each.

According to TransFair, by the end of the first half of 2006, Fair Trade certified coffee had generated an additional $83.3 billion towards farmer income, due to the higher prices paid to farmers. 

While certified prices vary, in the first half of 2006 Fair Trade certified beans cost $1.07 per pound, while the International Coffee Organization ( ICO) average price per pound was $0.84. 

Financial incentives are not just restricted to the farmers. On average Fair Trade coffee can expect to command a 15% premium, and the growth in sales over the last few years demonstrates that there is significant growing demand. 

According to research carried out by Fair Trade, 68% of respondents were willing to pay more for Fair Trade certified coffee, while specialty coffee drinkers were willing to pay the highest premium prices for their product with 60% indicating that they were willing to pay more than a 5% premium for Fair Trade certified coffee and 22% were willing to pay more than a 15% premium price.

Sources: (Datamonitor 2007/US Retail and Foodservice Coffee/Complete Review of Coffee Markets, TransFair Almanac 2007)

Fair Trade/ Organic Coffee Resources:

Equal Exchange

Fairtrade Labeling Organization (FLO)

The Organic Trade Association Coffee Collaboration

TransFair

Watch Fair Trade the MOVIE here.
 

Fair Trade-Organic Coffee........Part I of III

My concern with the amount of chemicals used in coffee growing, started the evening following the evening, that my granddaughter and I celebrated œEarth Hour. Earlier that day when she called asking to stay the night, I said great, but from 8-9pm we have to turn off all the lights, her response was "œWhy?" and ...........œ"What will we do?"

Well I said "œWhat did people do 50 years ago?" A great place to get grounded in what our parents and grandparents did with their Saturday nights not so long ago..........

While many pose the question, shouldn't every hour be Earth Hour? it seems Earth Hour has become the 'unofficial' kickoff to what is now being pegged as "Earth Month" previously known as Earth Day.

Earth Month "My Coffee AHA!" ............

Wal-Mart kicked off Earth Month with some great T.V. commercials, one of which highlighted a woman sitting next to a stream proclaiming  "If all of us bought a bag of Sam's Choice organic coffee, all 200 million of us, the number of customers that shop at Wal-Mart every week, ”that would save 133 million pounds of harmful chemicals from the earth!!!!"

Fresh off of two weeks work updating the chemicals used in cotton--my immediate thought....this cant be right---next step,”hit the internet---Walmart.com/green---there it was..

"œ200 million bags of USDA Certified organic coffee (10oz) would prevent 133 Million pounds of fertilizers and chemicals from being released into the environment. One bag of USDA Certified organic coffee helps prevent 0.665 pounds of fertilizers and chemicals from being released into the environment. 200 million bags of USDA Certified organic coffee helps prevent 133 Million pounds of fertilizers and chemicals from being released into the environment."Source:http://walmart.triaddigital.com/Sustainability-Page_ektid39886.aspx

Coffee equation:

One bag is 10ounces-or .665 pounds or  One bag of 12 ounces-or .75 pounds

200 million bags of 10-12oz coffee =2 billion ounces

2 billion ounces=125-133 million pounds 

WOW...... I had no idea that coffee had such huge environmental and social impacts---that would mean that coffee was a 1 to 1 ratio, ”chemical pounds  to product pounds, ”this couldn™t be right, ”cotton ”which I am fairly knowledgeable about (see previous posts)---is touted as one of the most heavily chemical intensive crops in the world ”at 2.86 ounces of chemicals per pound of cotton grown---a mere 1/3 of the coffee claim.....

So, if coffees impact is one pound of chemicals for every pound of coffee, why had I never heard about this?

Next step; contact Wal-Mart,”to ask for the back up documents to these claims........

I was impressed by the Wal-Mart promise of transparency--not only the web-posted
Sustainability Substantiation but in the prompt reply my email received.

I was put in contact with the coffee supplier Cafe Bom Dia, the local office here in Northwest Arkansas, and the New York office as well, they immediately sent me all the back up documents from their agronomist.

After spending about a week conducting due diligence, including a third party check of all the information........

YES, indeed the inputs to coffee growing-is about one pound of chemicals-to one pound of coffee*--

I had no idea that my morning cup of Joe was so damaging to the planet!!!! *Note: Almost all of the chemical inputs are in the fertilizer category--not pesticides.

More on Cafe Bom Dia.... continued in Part III........

Fair Trade 101

What is the difference between Fairtrade and Fair Trade?

The term Fairtrade is used to describe the certification and labeling system governed by FLO designed to allow consumers to identify goods produced under agreed labor and environmental standards.

The term Fair Trade is used to refer to the Fair Trade movement as a whole and can be used to describe both labeled and unlabelled goods and the work of Alternative Trade Organizations (ATOs), Fair Trade federations and networks such as IFAT, NEWS, and EFTA etc. The term Fair Trade is a broader term often used to describe one or many of the above, but can also occasionally be used to refer to trade justice issues. In such cases, it can be as broad as to describe general fairness in trade, such as tariffs, subsidies, worker rights and other issues.

Fair Trade certification is a market-based model of international trade that benefits over one million farmers and farm workers in 58 developing countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Fair Trade is sometimes used interchangeably with Ethical Trading, however, they are very distinct from one another.

Ethical Trading means companies are involved in a process of ensuring that the basic labor rights of the employees of their third world suppliers are respected.

The FAIRTRADE Mark, applies to products rather than companies.

The FAIRTRADE Mark; Core Standards and practice behind the Five Guarantees;

• · Guarantees farmers a fair and stable price for their products.
• · Extra income for farmers and estate workers to improve their lives.
• · A greater respect for the environment.
• · Small farmers a stronger position in world markets.
• · Closer link between consumers and producers. 

Roots of Fair Trade can be traced back to projects initiated by churches in North America and Europe in the late 1940s. Their goal was to provide relief to refugees and other poverty stricken communities by selling their handicrafts to Northern markets. Alternative Trade Organizations (ATOs) offered higher returns to producers in the developing world through direct trade and fair prices. In the US, ATOs such as Ten Thousand Villages and Equal Exchange, are worker owned co-operatives, formed to import Fair Trade crafts and coffee to the US market.

In 1988, world coffee prices began a sharp descent, triggering the birth of the first Fair Trade certification initiative.. The Netherland's Max Havelaar label offered mainstream coffee industry players the opportunity to adopt a standardized system of Fair Trade criteria.

Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) is the 'umbrella organization' that establishes Fair Trade standards, globally for the industry using a multi-stakeholder process involving producers, workers, mission-based companies, conventional traders and third party certification labeling Initiatives like TransFair USA.

Which products are Fair Trade Certified™ in the U.S.?

TransFair USA began certifying coffee in 1998 and has since expanded to include tea and herbs, cocoa and chocolate, fresh fruit, sugar, rice, and spices. TransFair is currently investigating the potential to certify additional products. Fair Trade Certified flowers, cotton, honey, sports balls, wine and beer are available in the European market. TransFair does not certify handicrafts.

TransFair does not certify COTTON.

Q. Are Fairtrade products organic?

A. Fair Trade standards require sustainable farming techniques and offer price premiums for organic production, However,  Fair Trade certification does not guarantee that a product was organically grown.

Fair Trade farmers are more likely to use sustainable, traditional growing methods rather than apply agrochemicals, and producer groups frequently use Fair Trade revenues to train members in environmentally sustainable farming practices and to finance the cost of organic certification. “FLO encourages producers to work towards organic certification” (FLO, 2003).

Resources:

Redressing a Global Inbalance: The Case for FairTrade Certified Cotton
Source: Fairtrade Foundation Briefing Paper

Fair Trade Garment Standards Feasibility Study
Source: TransFair

FLO
Fair Trade Foundation
TransFair
Oxfam 

Currently The United Nations “Least Developed” Countries are the only countries eligible for Fairtrade certification.                           

Watch Fair Trade the MOVIE here.

In Honor of Memorial Day 2008