After gaining fairtrade acreditation for all its retail products, sugar giant Tate & Lyle is looking to join forces with several large confectionary companies hoping to mass-produce fairtrade sweets.
This is great news for anyone with a sweet tooth who wants to support fair working conditions. A spokeswoman for the fairtrade foundation said of the potential deals (which are still shrouded in some secrecy) they are 'fantastic news' and that the size of Tate & Lyle's industrial sugar production meant it would have a very significant impact if it was converted.
[Via The Guardian]
If you don't know Matthew Langille's work, think childlike line drawings, fun, colourful prints and playful indie style -- all attributes he'll soon be bringing to People Tree, with a limited edition t-shirt range.
The range includs 'You and Me' (pictured); a trendy oversized tee with a V-shaped back, pleat detailing and double layering at the sleeves.'Honey Bee' is also an oversized tee and comes in sunny yellow with a black graphic print. It has a rounded neck and unfinished edges. Both tees are made from 100% organic Fairtrade certified cotton and are on sale for £32 each from People Tree.
If your conscience won't let you sleep easy at night, check out this unusual, appliqued duvet cover and pillowcase set that not only looks great, it also earns you eco points as you snooze.
The set is made from certified organic, fair trade cotton grown in Southern India and even its buttons are sculpted out of earth-friendly coconut. Each design is reversible, and you can choose from blueberry and spearmint (pictured), lime and olive or wine and raspberry. The price is also extremely reasonable, at £77.50 for the single set at the Green Apple Store.
I'm not normally a huge fan of trainers on babies, but have to admit these 'Bebe Volley' shoes by Veja have stolen my heart.
The fairtrade footwear label that also makes stylish, sports-casual shoes for adults, is now selling organic cotton baby shoes to match its original shoes that are similar to classic 1970s styles from Puma and Green Flash. The shoes are available with a green or pink trim, and are perfect for keeping your baby's feet warm. Get them for £20 at Equa.
I'm a big fan of acrylic jewellery, but this is the first time I've seen it sold with the fairtrade label.
The necklace I've picked out here is part of a larger collection of jewellery and accessories by design duo Cassandro and Dong of Dialog, who advised their lady shoppers in a recent press release that "this season it's the jewellery that's acrylic not your nails". That's us told, then!
Each piece in their collection is made under fairtrade conditions and a percentage of sales go towards training and welfare in Borneo and Hong Kong. Available online.
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Ben & Jerry's has added another classic flavour to its family of fairtrade ice creams: Chunky Monkey has become the latest variety to be granted certification.
If you've not had the pleasure of sampling it, Chunky Monkey is a mix of cream and chocolatey bananas, with chunky walnuts thrown in too. Ben & Jerry's is now working with the El Guabo banana producers' assocation in Ecuador, whose Vice-President Silvia Arevalo said: 'thanks to this co-operative, lives have been changed. Our farmers have guaranteed European sales for their bananas at a stable price all year round. If you want a fairer world you can make it happen...by helping disadvantaged producers, buying their products and spreading the Fairtrade message.'
Great to know that my favourite aspect of summer indulgence can now be entered into with a clear(er) conscience; the only question I want to ask is where on earth are they going to fairtrade monkeys? ;-p
A few years back when I was reporting on alternative fashion, I remember a label that seemed to be a bit of an underdog at the time.
Nomads did stuff that I personally loved, but very few of my contemporaries ever appreciated. The phrase 'eco chic' would have been a contradiction in terms at the time, and I got called a 'mad hippy' for liking their floaty skirts and beaded accessories; mainly by people who never gave a second's thought to where their mass-produced 'alternative' clothes had come from. This was no more than five years ago, so it's amazing to see how much things have changed. But even back then, there was a feeling in the air that the cheap clothes we loved so much were beginning to look decidedly tacky...
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After gaining fairtrade acreditation for all its retail products, sugar giant Tate & Lyle is looking to join forces with several large confectionary companies hoping to mass-produce fairtrade sweets.
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