With growing inequality, entrenched poverty and a pending ecological crisis, it is time to revisit the central design feature of business and explore the alternatives that exist the world over. Business was invented by humans. In order to employ humans, trade products and services, facilitate investments and foster production, we as societies designed business to meet human needs. We have a choice about what business looks like – its purpose, priorities, and structure. So, we do not need to accept that business must have a one-track mind, focused only on growing profits for shareholders.

An economy that works for people and planet needs a new kind of business model.

Imagining a world of Fair Trade enterprises. Fair Trade enterprises are both viable and desirable. Fair Trade has pioneered models of business that put people and planet first. Fair Trade enterprises prioritise the mission but are commercially viable. Fair Trade enterprises are the alternative to profit maximisation. 

It is rare to find an organisation tackling some of the biggest issues with such a clear vision.

Today Lucia* smiles. And so do the other women in her group. This young girl, who before joining was so introverted and silent, is now interacting with her peers and slowly blossoming.

The Body Shop has launched its first Community Trade Recycled Plastic from Bengalur

The year 2019 marks the 29th year of refugee confinement at the Thai-Myanmar border. The refugees have fled violence and fighting between the Myanmar Armed Forces and armed ethnic rebel forces.

Our community has Fair Trade Enterprises that are producing sustainable, ethical and beautiful fashion. 
Visit our Fair Trade Fashion Catalogue here.

This new short documentary Journey to Pavitramenthe tells the story of the farming communities in Bareilly, India that supply the organic mint oil used in Dr. Bronner’s iconic peppermint soap.  In Bareilly, mint crops are key to the livelihoods of over 1,500 farmers and their families. These farmers are now shifting to regenerative organic agricultural practices that increase yields and soil fertility while fostering resilience in the face of a changing climate.

I started People Tree nearly 30 years ago and whilst we make great clothes, foods, and crafts, which are high on social impact and low on environmental impact, it has never been enough. 

The Fair Trade Federation (FTF), a community of U.S.

In the Province of Cauquenes, located in the dry interior of the Region of Maule in Chile, it is calculated that there are over 2,000 people dedicated to the activity of handcrafted weaving, either

Natalia Popielska

Fast Fashion’s Dirty Secrets

Culemborg, The Netherlands, 8 March 2019 - Today, the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) releases new studies that shows the majority of Fair Trade Enterprises are led by women. According to the study, the network of more than 300 social enterprises in over 70 countries (i.e. WFTO members) have women as the majority among CEOs, board members and senior managers. This is in stark contrast to the mainstream business world.

Over half of Arabs in Israel live in poverty. Within this population, there are 200,000 women of working age who have no post-school qualifications. Sindyanna refuses to regard them as a lost generation. Instead, the social enterprise seeks to empower these women and help them acquire skills appropriate for the modern Israeli labour market. These skills include basket weaving, independent small business management and the Hebrew language, which is a condition for seeking work.