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Our Birmingham shop has recently reopened following a refit. Click here for more information about our shops.
 
As part of the recent re-branding exercise, Shared Earth’s Birmingham shop was given a new look with a complete refit inside and out using materials from Fair Trade producers.
It took just two weeks to refit the shop with the grand re-opening on Saturday 9th February. Shared Earth Birmingham shop manager Jemima is delighted with the changes. “It looks really good and everyone is remarking about it. It was a bit of a rush to get all the shelving units back on the walls but we managed to get it all done on time.”
The team are planning to bring further producer images to introduce more colour into the shop over the next few weeks. Regular customers to the Shared Earth shop have been impressed at the changes so far with comments such as “… it looks so much lighter in here.”
 
Shared Earth founder Jeremy Piercy was adamant from the beginning of the project that Fair Trade needed to be at the very heart of the refit. “It is wonderful that we’re not just selling Fair Trade products but we were able to involve our suppliers in the refit as well. Fair Trade producer Mitra Bali from Indonesia supplied us with some of the shop fittings and signage which look fantastic,” explains Jeremy. As well as Mitra Bali, Shared Earth producer Asha was also involved and made some special Fair Trade picture frames for behind the till points.
 
Monday 25 February is the start of Fairtrade Fortnight – one of the highlights of the Fair Trade year. But is it Fairtrade Fortnight or Fair Trade Fortnight? And does it matter??
Fairtrade (one word) is the “mark” which now applies to over 3,000 products in the UK – a fantastic achievement. It has enabled more and more Fairtrade products to appear in the supermarkets, which in turn raises awareness of Fair Trade (two words!) in general. 52% of the public recognise the mark, and this percentage is increasing all the time.
The mark appears almost exclusively on food. Two other commodities have been recognised – cotton and flowers – and one manufactured product, footballs from Pakistan. There are two reasons for this.
First, the procedures and paperwork make obtaining Fairtrade certification a time-consuming and expensive process; one importer told me it takes the profit from two containers of coffee, for instance, for the producer to cover the cost of obtaining the mark. That’s a lot of coffee! Orders for handicrafts are usually tiny in comparison. A container holds about 100,000 keyrings, for instance, or 25,000 spectacle cases. Shared Earth places orders for less than 500 of these items. Also, fashions change quickly, so products would often go out of date before the cost of obtaining the mark can be recuperated.
But the main reason handicrafts don’t have the mark is that the certification system was set up only to deal with agricultural products. The aim was to get Fair Trade products into the mainstream – and getting food into the supermarkets was the way to do this.
What about clothing? you may ask. Doesn’t M & S have a clothing range which carries the Fairtrade logo? It does – but it only applies to the cotton, not to where and how it’s made.
This is all set to change. The two main Fair Trade bodies worldwide are IFAT (International Federation for Fair Trade, which includes buyers and sellers of both food and crafts), and FLO (Fairtrade Labelling Organisation, the umbrella organisation for labelling initiatives worldwide – the Fairtrade Foundation is its UK representative).
IFAT and FLO have started talks with the aim of creating a single mark which could apply to all products. A committee is setting up pilot projects, and by autumn, concrete proposals should be in place.
It’s not going to be easy. The system has to be credible, or businesses which are not committed to Fair Trade could take advantage of it. But it also needs to avoid complexity and bureaucracy, or small producers will not benefit from it.
Solutions to these problems will, I am sure, be found. Soon, I hope, Fair Trade will receive an excellent boost from a new mark, which will increase market access for handicraft producers, and raise awareness even further amongst consumers.
At Shared Earth, we celebrate Fair Trade Fortnight (not Fairtrade). We want all trade to be fair, not just food.
Long live Fair Trade!
The Birmingham Spring Fair, which ended on 7 February, is the UK’s largest trade show for home and giftware. It’s massive, with over 80,000 trade visitors attending. Walking round all the halls is like running a marathon.
The catalogue for the Fair included, for the first time, a section listing Fair Trade exhibitors. I was disappointed that only 9 of the 43 on the list were importers which had been accredited by BAFTS (British Association for Fair Trade Shops). And indeed, there were some who were jumping on the bandwagon. “Can you tell me about your Fair Trade policy?” I asked one exhibitor of Christmas decorations from the Far East. “Oh, I don’t think you could call us fair,” he said, adding quickly, “though we don’t buy goods made by children.” This was the perception of other exhibitors too – that Fair Trade just means avoiding child labour.
But the majority of exhibitors not recognised by BAFTS were genuine about what they were doing, and knew a lot about Fair Trade. Some had wonderful products too. There were, for instance, some fantastic ceramic pots from Indonesia, selling largely to garden centres; some beautiful jewellery from Kenya, selling to upmarket boutiques; and some cute woollen dolls from Bangladesh, selling to craft and children’s shops. All supported worthy projects and were giving excellent support to the producers and communities involved. And they were selling to the mainstream market, not just to Fair Trade shops.
Fair Trade exhibitors were still a small minority overall, but there were significantly more of them than there were just two years ago. The organisers of the show were also aware about Fair Trade and keen to promote it. A big change from two years ago when they were either suspicious or just not interested, and an excellent sign that consumer demand for Fair Trade is growing fast. This was backed up by sales at Shared Earth’s stand, which increased by over 50% on last year. Fair Trade is on a roll!
The Shared Earth team visited another of ASHA’s community Fair Trade projects during the India trip which offered education for 41 children on the outskirts of Agra.
The small school educates children aged 3 – 12 years old from 9a.m to 12 mid day 6 days per week. The teacher works voluntarily and ASHA pays for the rent on the school house, resources and a daily lunch for all attendees.
The Shared Earth team were greeted by over 20 children who sat obediently awaiting instruction from their teacher. “These children are so keen to learn and very much enjoy being at school,” explains Lavina Randive from ASHA.
Each of the children stood up in turn to tell the Shared Earth team their name and what their father does for a living. The main occupations included labourer, cycle rickshaw driver, buffalo farmer, salesman, and many of the mothers worked as maids.
This project is just one of many that Fair Trade organisations are able to set up due to the increase in fairly traded goods in countries like the UK. Shared Earth is keen to promote such projects to improve education and future conditions of so many young people.
For further information please contact the Shared Earth team.
“Our dream was to create the best possible environment for Fair Trade work,” said Swapna Director at EMA. As the Shared Earth team arrived at the base of EMA this statement couldn’t appear to have become truer as they were greeted with home grown coconuts cut open to offer a refreshing welcome drink.
 
Established in 1977, EMA produce and supply leather, candles, musical instruments, toys, games and textiles world-wide. Many workers that have no home of their own live onsite in their large dormitory style accommodation that looks out across EMA’s fish ponds and banana groves.
The extensive candle workshop is run entirely by 22 handicapped individuals who are all deaf, while some are deaf and dumb. They have established an elaborate lighting system to communicate through the heating room and the production room which instructs members of the candle group to collect fresh wax ready for production.
 
Soumen, the deaf manager of the candle workshop, has been sponsored to go to the Netherlands later this year to learn new techniques from an experienced candle maker. EMA are keen to work with other countries in this way to further the skills of their workforce and improve their products.
“The majority of deaf individuals usually end up as maids to their family in return for food and shelter. They are seen as a burden to the family and so usually work for their keep,” Swapna explained. “Here they are able to earn money, learn skills and socialise with others,” she continued.
32 year old Jayasree has been working for EMA since 2002. She met her husband, who is also deaf, on site at EMA. Soon after meeting they married and they now live happily together on site. “EMA has changed my life,” she signed with a smile. “I never thought I would get married. Also the food and accommodation is great”.
 
There is a huge dining room where everyone is invited to eat together. The meals consist of fresh fish from their ponds, vegetables and fruit grown on site in organic conditions. Other produce is sourced locally. “We want to become totally self sufficient,” explains Nitu who looks after EMA’s marketing.
The Shared Earth team visited EMA on one of the last days in Kolkatta and had already seen many workshops and smaller operations making wonderful progress. EMA have established a tranquil patch of paradise which many less fortunate members of Indian society have benefited from.
This visit gave a true sense of what Fair Trade was capable of achieving, not just in one small place but throughout India and indeed in many other countries worldwide.
For further information please contact Shared Earth.
There are still millions of children around the world who work long hours in sweatshops and millions of people working in unsafe, unhygienic conditions to earn a wage which is insufficient to feed their families.
Fair Trade ensures that producers are paid reasonable prices for their work, child labour is avoided, working conditions are decent and sustainable materials are used wherever possible. Fair Trade tries to help those at the bottom of society, those who are the least well off, and to support communities, not just individuals.
The Shared Earth franchise package is being offered to those people who are interested in owning an ethical business which will assist in the continuing development of Fair Trade and a promise of a fairer wage to those with the skills to produce products that UK consumers really want to buy. This has nothing to do with price. It’s simply that people like to feel they’re making the world a better place to live in.
Jeremy explains “Fair Trade is here to stay. People have begun to realise that enormous poverty in a world of plenty is not right - that we shouldn’t be buying goods that have been made by people who earn less than $1 a day, who are struggling to put food on the table, who can’t afford to send their children to school.”
Shared Earth’s recent trip to India was a huge success with news stories being printed all over the UK in magazines and newspapers.
Jeremy Piercy, founder of Shared Earth organised the India trip, “During our visit we reviewed a selection of Fair Trade projects set up by Indian suppliers, which are designed to give back to the community. We visited a slum school, orphanage, workshops and schools all of which have been set up or funded through Fair Trade. It was a pleasure to view the progress and positive impact for workers, families and communities. With an increase in sales of 8% within our shops, we are hopeful of a positive take up for our Shared Earth franchise package which is the first of its kind within the UK. This project will undoubtedly give even more work to world-wide handicraft suppliers, giving this industry a real boost.”
The Shared Earth team visited another of ASHA’s community Fair Trade projects during the India trip which offered education for 41 children on the outskirts of Agra.
The small school educates children aged 3 – 12 years old from 9a.m to 12 mid day 6 days per week. The teacher works voluntarily and ASHA pays for the rent on the school house, resources and a daily lunch for all attendees.
The Shared Earth team were greeted by over 20 children who sat obediently awaiting instruction from their teacher. “These children are so keen to learn and very much enjoy being at school,” explains Lavina Randive from ASHA.
Each of the children stood up in turn to tell the Shared Earth team their name and what their father does for a living. The main occupations included labourer, cycle rickshaw driver, buffalo farmer, salesman, and many of the mothers worked as maids.
This project is just one of many that Fair Trade organisations are able to set up due to the increase in fairly traded goods in countries like the UK. Shared Earth is keen to promote such projects to improve education and future conditions of so many young people.
For further information please contact the Shared Earth team.
Fair Trade leather society Madhya Kalikata Shilpangan (better known as MKS) was established in 1994 and now has 30 producer groups. Shared Earth has been working with them since 2000 to offer fairly traded quality leather goods such as bags, purses and belts.
The leather comes from Indian cows and is finished to a high standard by their master craftsmen. The number of supplying individuals that work with MKS totals around 2,500 people and MKS stated during the visit that they always stay with the same suppliers even if the cost is slightly higher.
Many of the smaller items such as the purses are made economically using the off cuts of quality leather from larger items.
The Shared Earth design team works closely with MKS to assist them in designing many items. During the visit, Shared Earth’s Design Assistant, Sarah Hardman was able to see a bag that she personally designed as part of a range of products for sale in the UK through Shared Earth.
 
“With support from Shared Earth we have scope to diversify our product, offer good design and the confidence to do it ourselves,” says Mithu Dam Roy, Secretary for MKS
During Christmas 2007 MKS took 52 of their workers on holiday to an Indian seaside, an event that happens annually. They believe strongly that by doing this they create a stronger relationship with their workers.
MKS offer free medical care and encourage a higher proportion of women to work with them. Currently around 1/3 of their workers are women. This enables the women to become more independent and self sufficient. A good step forward for the future.
For further information please contact the Shared Earth team.
Shared Earth imports its own branded unique jewellery, fashion accessories, wood, ceramics, paper, soapstone and kids ranges which add to the sustainability of the retail operation. Shared Earth’s specialist design team continually review consumer and industry trends to ensure that a balanced and current product range is on offer. The team also work with other Fair Trade organisations such as Oxfam to assist them in reviewing product ranges and to increase the amount of work that is available to the world wide artisans that produce an array of goods for sale in the UK and in Shared Earth’s shops.
The exclusivity potential of the Shared Earth franchise is backed by the fact that Shared Earth is the largest retailer and wholesaler of Fair Trade products in the UK. This experience and skill sits behind the franchise package which ensures that each and every new franchise gets the best in consumer research, new product developments and assistance in retailing. With all this in mind, new franchisees will know they are in good hands.
With Fair Trade sales booming, more and more employment is being provided for artisans in developing countries, thus increasing the opportunity for future new product development and new supply channels for Shared Earth and their franchisees. At a time when global conflict seems also on the increase, Shared Earth’s partnerships with producers are an invaluable way of building bridges, showing that people can work together for mutual benefit, no matter what their race, religion or culture.
In the UK, consumers are buying more Fair Trade products than ever before which is having a real positive impact. British consumers see the true value in purchasing individual gifts which benefit everyone in the supply chain as well as offering the customer value for money and unique hand-made products.
Jeremy Piercy, Fair Trade guru and founder of Shared Earth has extensive knowledge of this particular industry and regularly travels to places such as India, Nepal and The Philippines to work with dedicated producers to ensure that the exact specifications are met. “We are unusual in the fact that we have a specialist team of in-house designers which spot trends and respond quickly to changes in fashion and consumer tastes. We are unique in the way we work because we fit our product ranges around consumer needs, keeping a fresh customer orientated focus, offering products that people really want to buy,” explains Jeremy.
The franchise, which is fully supported by Jeremy and his team of experts within the Fair Trade industry, offers the right person a fabulous opportunity to build an ethical profitable business. “We have always aimed to address the imbalance of wealth, working together with people from different cultures while earning a decent living and, because we make good profits, we are able to offer our suppliers in the third world a good and fair price for their products,” adds Jeremy.
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