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CNET News Stefanie Olsen
Catering to a rising tide of socially-conscious shoppers, eBay this summer plans to help publicly launch WorldofGood.com, a marketplace for buying fair-trade products, according to Robert Chatwani, eBay’s general manager of the project.
eBay, in partnership with a separate fair-trade company World of Good Inc., has already built a community site for people interested in goods that are made of recycled materials or produced by fairly treated workers, for example. But the two organizations plan to open a shopping site that will cater to these “social change consumers,” Chatwani said here Tuesday at the Dow Jones Environment Conference. (more…)
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Sun Herald TransFair USA
This Mother’s Day, Fair Trade Certified(TM) flowers will not only bring joy to U.S. moms, but will also provide benefits for pregnant women and working mothers on flower farms in developing countries.
TransFair USA, the only independent, third-party certifier of Fair Trade Certified products in the United States, offers Fair Trade Certified flowers to the U.S. market. The flowers are available to consumers in time for Mother’s Day.
Newly available this year, Fair Trade Certified flowers — available at 1800flowers.com, samsclub.com, organicbouquet.com, and Whole Foods Markets (under the Whole Trade Guarantee label) — show that sometimes gift items can benefit the producer as well as the recipient. (more…)
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The Seattle Times Tom Watson
Isn’t it about time cut flowers went back to their roots?
Natural and biodegradable, flowers were a “green” product before that concept even existed. But the growth of cut flowers in recent years into a $40 billion industry has relied heavily on chemical pesticides and fertili-zers, as well as far-flung global production.Now the green-living movement has finally reached the vase on your dining-room table. Eco-friendly and socially-responsible flowers are becoming more available, stimulated by blossoming consumer demand. (more…)
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HappyNews.com Cortney Hamilton and Deb Tullmann
Just miles from the equator, rose farms have become a colorful focal point of Ecuador’s Andean countryside. With an elevation nearing 10,000 feet, the country’s proximity to the sun and cool nights provide perfect growing conditions for long, straight roses. Ecuador’s cut-flower industry supplies roughly one-third of America’s roses, but the industry is notorious for dangerous pesticides, poor labor practices and corrupt management.
Over the past 10 years, the fair trade model has transformed the coffee industry across much of Latin America. And while fair-trade-certified flowers have been available in Europe for more than a decade, consumer demand in the United States has not pushed flower growers to comply with fair labor practices or to produce a sustainable rose. But Michael Conroy, board chairman of TransFair USA, a fair-trade-certifying agency for the U.S., believes this is about to change. (more…)
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www.newswiretoday.com Newswire Today
SERRV International, a national fair trade organization headquartered in Madison, Wis., has been awarded a $53,500 grant from the eBay Foundation for a new website aimed at providing resources to low-income artisans and farmers in more than 30 countries around the world. (more…)
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www.prnewswire.com PR Newswire
TransFair USA, the only independent, third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States, is now offering Fair Trade Certified(TM) flowers to the U.S. market. The flowers are available to consumers in time for Valentine’s Day.
While many people believe cut roses and flowers are grown locally, most commercially available flowers are grown in the developing world. Adding a Fair Trade Certified label to these flowers guarantees that flower workers in developing countries, the majority of whom are women, receive fair wages; protective gear; training on safe handling of agrochemicals; education and child care; and paid vacation, maternity and sick leave. Growers also receive a premium of approximately 10 percent on each sale to invest in community and business development projects. (more…)
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www.openpr.com Open PR
True Blue Coffee Roasters, a 100% Fair Trade coffee roaster located in Old Fields, WV, announced today the addition of two new gourmet Organic Fair Trade coffee blends to their extensive offerings, Ma Sue’s House Blend and Edith Mae’s Sunshine Blend.
“We have been working on these new blends for sometime now,” Rob Luzader, roastmaster and blender said. “Our customers continuously comment on how much they love our blended coffees, and we felt the time was right to add to our repertoire.” (more…)
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The Daily Green Deborah Barrow
Remember when you first heard the term “fair trade”?
It was probably at a boutique organic food store or maybe at a local gourmet coffee shop. Or maybe at a dinner party at the home of a local swell?
Well, in another example of how green is going mainstream, retailing giant Sam’s Club is now offering Fair Trade Certified roses to its members. (more…)
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Sun Herald Divine Chocolate
Just in time to kick-off this year’s Valentine’s Day excitement, Divine, the world’s first farmer-owned Fair Trade chocolate brand, is proud to announce the winner of its “Hungry To Change The World” recipe contest. Beating out fierce competition from around the country, Colorado resident Clara Coleman’s Fair-Trade Divine Chocolate Velvet Cheesecake recipe was the big winner. Divine Chocolate will recognize Coleman’s achievements with a pre-Valentine’s Day chocolate tasting event on February 7th at Rock Creek Restaurant in Washington, DC. (more…)
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www.prweb.com PR Web
This Valentine’s Day, two San Luis Obispo-based companies are offering a sweet and spicy treat - the new SLO Chai Chocolate. SLO Chai and Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates, Inc. are marketing a blend of Sweet Earth’s award-winning 65% bittersweet Fair Trade chocolate and SLO Chai’s incomparably warm and spicy chai mix that not only tastes delicious but is helping to support cocoa farmers in West Africa. (more…)
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