Fair Trade is growing fast in the UK – very fast. It’s tempting to think the whole world is changing with us. Unfortunately this isn’t so. We’re at the forefront of a movement which is at different stages of growth in different countries. A visitor from the USA, for instance, commented to me recently that the USA is “about 20 years behind” us in terms of public awareness. And indeed, awareness of Fair Trade issues is far greater in Europe than in the rest of the world.

I’ve just returned from an illuminating trip to Japan, where I saw sumo wrestlers on TV, travelled on the bullet train, admired the cherry blossom, and went to a Karaoke bar – wondering at the smart businessmen who took off their jackets and sang rock songs without any trace of inhibition. My girlfriend Mary, who speaks Japanese fluently, guided me through the complex railway system on a tour of the Fair Trade scene in Tokyo and Yokohama.

One person we spoke to almost exactly echoed our American visitor in York. “Fair Trade is growing fast in Japan,” he said, “but we’re still about 20 years behind you in the UK.”

And indeed, we had to visit about ten supermarket branches before we found just one Fair Trade product, a single packet of coffee. The Fairtrade mark is hardly used at all, and unrecognised by the Japanese public. A wholefood shop we visited was listed as a ‘Fair Trade outlet’ on the basis that it sold a couple of packets of Fair Trade coffee and 3 or 4 chocolate bars.

“The Japanese tradition is to care for one’s immediate family and community,” a local businessman told us. “It’s similar in China too. The Christian and Islamic values of giving to the poor and helping those who suffer, wherever they might be, is simply not a part of our culture. So the values of Fair Trade are more difficult for us to understand.”

This may explain why Fair Trade developed so much earlier in Europe, where many of the Fair Trade ‘pioneers’ were members of the churches.

However, we met some wonderfully dedicated people in Japan. I particularly admired Kanji Tsuchiya and the staff at Nepali Bazaro, one of the two IFAT members in Japan (the other being People Tree). We made an appointment at short notice but could not have been received in a more courteous and hospitable manner. Nepali Bazaro is a wholesaler which buys from over twenty producer groups in Nepal, specialising in clothes. During our visit they had two trainees from Nepal staying with them on three-month contracts, learning the techniques required to produce the clothing.

Kanji has sent all of his 24 staff to Nepal and they even learn to speak the language. “We have a meal together once a week where no Japanese is allowed!” he told us.

The other IFAT member, People Tree, also specialises in clothing. Much of it is made from organic cotton. It became clear why they receive so much attention in the media – they have four full-time staff working exclusively on PR! (most Fair Trade businesses don’t have any). Undoubtedly this has helped put Fair Trade on the map in Japan, but one wonders whether the wage bill has also contributed to People Tree’s financial problems.

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York News and Times April 2008

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With the launch of the first Fair Trade franchise in the UK, an outstanding team and a trend towards environmentally friendly retailing, York based company Shared Earth is exceeding expectations.

Established in 1986 Shared Earth has led the Fair Trade industry for over two decades, focusing on delivering products that consumers want by managing the design and development in-house. (more…)

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Shared Earth fans were delighted to see a Shared Earth jute bag being used on the Gavin and Stacey show on Sunday 6th April.

It was used in a scene with the actor Alison Steadman, who plays Pam; Gavin’s neurotic Essex mum, as she entered her house with her shopping stacked into one of Shared Earth’s reusable jute bags.

“We’re delighted to see the bags being used, especially on the TV,” comments Jeremy Piercy, founder of Shared Earth.

(more…)

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Shared Earth has donated £10,000 for the creation of the first sustainable community centre in India. Jeremy Piercy handed over the cheque to the John Lally International Foundation outside Shared Earth’s head office in York, which is to fund a new community centre in Goa.

John Lally was a good friend of Jeremy some years ago and he was also extremely active in the environmental movement before he died in his late 20’s. He persuaded the council to give over a disused landfill site as a conservation area, and helped to raise several hundred thousand pounds to set up the UK’s first eco community centre on the site. This now forms the template for the Goa project.

The new Goa centre in Moira, will be promoting environmental education, sustainability, community enterprise, recycling and agriculture for all the community and also includes a kindergarten. Using an old Portuguese-style house renovated to 21^st century standards, the Centre will be carbon neutral forming a community base for environmental enterprises in agriculture, recycling, garbage collection and other small scale non-polluting industries.

School parties from all over Goa will use the Centre to study the environmental syllabus, not in a dry academic way but in an interactive, stimulating and exciting way. “Hands On” is the ethos of the education at the Centre where children will learn about the eco-system and their role in it. Most children, if not all, have the capacity of wonder and by stimulating that innate sense, we help develop the imagination of future generations.

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As well as being the UK’s largest independent retailer of non-food Fair Trade products, Shared Earth offer the best selection of recycled products, including bags made from crisp packets in Bangladesh, toy cars made from tin cans in Madagascar, office stationery from computer boards in the UK, wall hangings from old saris in India and jewellery from recycled glass in Chile. Shared Earth actively campaign against the use of plastic bags with their jute bags made in India which boast a selection of logos such as ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’, ‘Use me till me bottom wears out’ and  ‘Say No to Plastic Bags’. They also backed the Daily Mail’s Banish the Bag campaign.

Shared Earth’s seven shops operate successfully because of their Fair Trade and environmental stance. Three of their shops have opened within the last 3 years with sales and profit substantially increasing. Managing Director Jeremy Piercy has worked hard for over two decades to offer a unique selection of products through Shared Earth branded shops which individually generate in excess of £300,000 per annum.

“Fair Trade is making such a difference,” explains Jeremy. “Critics are quick to question whether the Fairtrade logo is just another way of businesses to profit. We are ensuring that the profits of our fairly traded goods directly benefit those communities that require assistance and this Goa project is a classic example.”

Other planned projects include a carbon offsetting scheme funding a tree-planting operation near Saharanpur in India.

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Shared Earth offer a comprehensive training program, as part of their Fair Trade franchise package, which includes accompanying Jeremy and his team of designers on a trip to a developing country!

Jeremy and his team have recently returned from a two week trip to India where he took 12 staff to visit producer workshops, select new products and review the Fair Trade projects helping to improve the lives of many people.

New franchisees will spend time at Shared Earth’s York head office as part of their training. Full launch support is provided along with the operations manual, marketing and PR assistance. With the average sales from a Shared Earth shop being around £300,000 per year, it is a great time to get involved.

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