Happy World Fair Trade Day!

In the fall of 2016, Trades of Hope became members of the Fair Trade Federation. This was something that Co-founder Chelsie had been working on for a few years.  And as our Artisan Development team came about, they spearheaded this mission to become members -- and made it happen! At January's INSPIRE 2017 Conference, Chelsie spoke about our Fair Trade membership, what it means, and why it’s SUCH a big deal.  Read highlights of what Chelsie shared at INSPIRE below:

We’ve always been committed to putting our artisans first, but what the Fair Trade Federation does is put a stamp on our efforts to affirm to the world and to your customers that we successfully DO put our artisans first and that we have accountability in that.  The Fair Trade Federation is a trade association that promotes North American organizations fully committed to fair trade. The Federation is part of the global fair trade movement, building sustainable trading partnerships and creating opportunities to alleviate poverty. They began in 1994 and are also members of the World Fair Trade Organization. They help ensure transparency and integrity in all of their partners. Their approval was based on many conversations they had with our staff and our artisans. They are passionate about being a partner of accountability and credibility to companies like ours! Below we’ve outlined the fair trade principles.

We commit to these principles and to partner with the Fair Trade Federation,
       as they are at the heart of our mission of putting our artisans first:
​

• We Create Opportunities for economically and socially-marginalized artisans.
• We Develop Transparent and Accountable Relationships with artisans to ensure that relationships are open, fair, consistent, and respectful.
• We Build Capacity of artisans and their communities.  We invest time and resources to help artisans build their businesses.
• We Promote Fair Trade by raising awareness about fair trade, educating customers and artisans, and inspiring other businesses to adopt fair trade practices.
• We pay Promptly and Fairly.
• We Support Safe and Empowering Working Conditions that are free of discrimination and forced labor. Healthy workplaces empower artisans to participate in decision making.
• We cultivate Environmental Stewardship by encouraging responsible use of resources and eco-friendly production.  We reduce, reuse, reclaim, and recycle materials whenever possible.
• We Ensure the Rights of Children by never using exploitative child labor.  We support children’s right to security, education, and play.
• We Respect the Cultural Identity of artisans and celebrating their diversity. Fair trade products and production methods respect the traditions of the local communities.

We also knew that as we grew, it was going to become increasingly more complicated for us to help our artisans grow with us. To that end, we decided to create a whole department within Trades of Hope dedicated to advocating for and developing our artisans.  We call this Artisan Development: with its main focus to analyze issues our artisans face in business and find creative solutions for them, help develop them as leaders, work to understand and communicate their needs to the founders when they can help and to hold them accountable to the Fair Trade principles.  They travel to meet them in their homes and find common ground where they can laugh, relate, and build stronger relationships together... 
Partnering with artisans is not like partnering with other manufacturers.  Every step of the process is far different from that of the “typical American business model.” ​We cannot just create a PO and email it to a manufacturer for 3,000 products and have it to arrive 2 days later, as we Americans have grown accustomed to such conveniences.

                                              But we choose these differences.
                        Because we love people and we put our artisans first.
Those we are empowering are functioning in cultures so differently than ours and may be going through extremely difficult circumstances that are unfathomable to us.  Each group is unique and we do our best to accommodate what’s best for our artisans’ well-being and their overall good…

• Sometimes we partner with artisan groups inexperienced in business.  But we choose to come alongside and train them up, knowing they deserve opportunities they may not otherwise get.
• Sometimes that means we may not receive a shipment of high-demand items since an artisan cannot access the post office when there is a festival where there’s quite literally hundreds of cows blocking the road!  (true story!)
• Sometimes communication is an issue when dealing with artisans in areas with limited internet access. Or when dealing with those who have never used the internet before. We patiently adjust and guide them through new processes.
• Sometimes our artisans may have limited resources available to them and the colors or beads may vary from what we ordered, or they may just thinkthe red bag we ordered “looked prettier” in pink … so we choose to getcreative and sell pink bags, knowing WHO made them and why.
• Sometimes the cultural norms are such that our artisans are caring for their entire family and therefore can only work limited hours in order to do so, and we honor their commitment and dedication.
• Sometimes people want to know more about our artisans and their stories than what we can share. Many of our groups are dealing with various types of trauma, abuse, enslavement or heartbreak, and we must help them grow while also being sensitive to their pasts and what they’ve been through.  We choose to honor them and their stories above all else, allowing them time to heal and grow.  Healthy, long-term partnerships that empower our artisans are far more important than making a sale.
• Sometimes a natural disaster happens and we choose to give our artisans the time and resources they need to help them rebuild, knowing the products can wait, lives cannot.

                                         We choose these differences.
                     Because we love people and we put our artisans first.

But all of these groups are our friends, just like you love the uniqueness that makes your own group of friends individual and beautiful. And friends have each other’s backs. Friends hold each other accountable. Friends make one another better.  They’re honest about the challenges.  And they love one another and put one another first. We want to assure you, we know the challenges that come with all of our artisan groups … and we are up for the challenge!