The choices you make as a consumer can help make a positive difference in the world. Our product range includes fair trade products sourced from various developing countries. We buy either from the artisans themselves, or social enterprises who share our ideals to promote the improvement of life in impoverished communities.

Fair trade is not about charity. It is a strategy for poverty alleviation and sustainable economic development. Essentially it aims to ensure that the producers are paid a fair market price to cover the cost of sustainable production, taking into consideration decent working conditions, cost of labour and raw materials, etc, and that workers receive a fair living wage to enable them to meet their basic needs – food, housing, education, medical.

We are committed to supporting fair trade principles wherever possible, which include:
• Creating opportunities for the economically disadvantaged and marginalised producers
• Developing producers’ independence and access to markets
• Paying promptly and fairly
• Supporting safe and empowering working conditions
• Supporting environmentally sustainable practices
• Educating and creating awareness of the fair trade movement
• Respecting and celebrating cultural identity

You can learn more about fair trade at www.fairtradefederation.org

PRODUCERS
The producers we currently source our handmade, fair trade products from include:

Smateria
Smateria is a handicraft workshop and shop opened in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 2006, whose products are made from recycled or re-purposed materials sourced locally. These include recycled nylon mosquito nets, plastic bags and drinks cartons.

Smateria is a commercial enterprise that operates in line with fair trade principles. Businesses in Cambodia are often family-based and Smateria supports this by employing, where possible, members of the same family, enabling knowledge to be passed between each family member. It also partners with local organisations to recover and recycle used materials.

The Silk Lab
The Silk Lab was set up in 2005 to create social and economic security for disadvantaged women living in Siem Reap, Cambodia through a fair trade business. The women, who all come from low income backgrounds with little or no education, have been trained to become professional seamstresses, giving them the opportunity to be employed and continually improve their knowledge and skills towards a professional career.

Mar y Sol
Mar y Sol is a socially and environmentally responsible company that markets original design handmade bags from Madagascar and Kenya, which incorporate renewable raw materials. Their creation not only promotes environmental conservation but also enables families to gain economic independence.

The company invests in social development, working with a local orphanage to provide supplies, training and funding for the centre’s craft workshop. It provides market readiness training workshops to artisan groups and small businesses in Madagascar and Kenya, working closely with them to support sustainable economic development projects, provide a venue for artistic expression and to stimulate cross-cultural exchange. The ultimate aim of these efforts is to promote long-term sustainable growth from the sale of its products.