SHARED EARTH is a fair trading company that believes it is possible to trade fairly and ethically. Fair trade and environmental issues are closely interlinked, and since its establishment SHARED EARTH has held environmental awareness close to the heart of its operation.

SHARED EARTH reduces its impact on the environment in the following ways:

• Selling products made from sustainable or recycled materials.
  
  
• Working with suppliers to ensure products are manufactured using production methods that are appropriate to the ecology and economy of their country of origin, and do not damage their local environment.
  
  
• Using as little packaging as possible (whilst minimising product damage and waste) and using packaging that is easily recyclable or biodegradable.
  
  
• Shipping products to the UK by sea rather than air.
  
  
• Minimising energy consumption and recycling waste in shop branches and at head office.
  
  
• Short and medium distance travel is taken by rail rather than by car or air. Necessary long-haul flights to visit suppliers are offset by contributions to tree-planting schemes.
  
  
• Accountability through publication of a bi-annual self-assessment report monitoring against standards fixed by the World Fair Trade Organization; this information is freely available to customers.
  
  
• Working to raise awareness within both the fair trade movement and the company’s customer base about the importance of environmental issues and the potential impact on world poverty of global warming – and vice-versa.

SHARED EARTH aims to strike a balance between social, environmental and economic responsibilities and always endeavours to improve environmental standards within the company.

Responsibility and Review:
The Managing Director is responsible for assessing performance against this Policy, which will be reviewed every two years.