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Fair Trade, Eco and Ethical

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22 Sep 2025 10:30

How Does my Fair Trade Purchase Help the Environment?

We’ve all heard of sustainable fashion. Sustainable homeware. Eco-friendly gifts. Everything these days seems to have some kind of better-for-the-environment alternative. The thing is though, not many companies actually explain how their products are good, sustainable options.

The Fair Trade movement has always been connected to environmental welfare, and this has especially grown alongside the threat of climate change. We are increasingly aware of our carbon footprints and who we buy from as more is being done to try and save the earth. Most ideas that spring to mind when we hear the terms eco-friendly, ethical and sustainable are along the lines of planting trees and giving to charity. It’s all great, but it is actually so much more than that.

Yes, we do plant trees and help a wide range of charities. In fact, every purchase made online means we get to donate money towards reforestation and creating more oxygen in our atmosphere, helping to cut down on CO2 emissions by other companies. Our shipping is entirely carbon-free and all of our products are sourced knowing that every step of buying is fair to those involved. This means the product is in good shape, but also that the artisans who have made it are paid fairly for their work.

The materials used in our products are almost always recycled or are entirely sustainable too. Take bamboo, for example – sometimes you can’t even stop it growing on its own! We use bamboo in our socks, wash bags and toothbrushes, to name a few items, and find that not only are they a good choice for the environment, but also for the buyer. Bamboo retains colour like there’s no tomorrow and requires less dye to achieve the same brightness as cotton – if not brighter. It doesn’t use as much water and creates more fabric than cotton and our socks are a great alternative for those watching their footprints (literally)!

At Shared Earth, we replant anything that we use – bamboo being a great example as it is so fast-growing. We also recycle other materials, such as cotton and scrap metal, which allows us to reduce waste and create beautiful things out of what would else have gone to waste. One man’s trash is another man’s recycled bike chain wine rack, and all that jazz…

It’s easy for a business to say they’re sustainable, but it is something else entirely to make sure that we are doing as much as we can in every corner of trade. Our work provides opportunities for marginalised communities in the UK and abroad, with many of our artisans hailing from Bali, India, South Africa, Guatemala… and the rest! Sustainability and ethical trading is not just about one or the other – it’s about doing the most for both our people and our environment. Buying from small ethical sellers is more important than ever, and is only going to get more and more important as we try to combat world inequalities and changes to our natural landscape.

When buying through Fair Trade, you are ensuring the livelihoods of millions of artisans across the globe, but you are also keeping that globe intact. Your help actively maintains the integration of small businesses within the high street and online alongside huge companies, shedding light on them to more people with similar mindsets to our own. Our work makes every customer aware of where their money is going – whether it be to reforesting, helping rural women and those with disabilities find work, or going towards keeping this business alive through further trading. Our job is to provide our buyers with beautiful products, of course – but our most important task is to think about everybody involved and the world around us too. It must always be the environment and our people, especially those helping us across the world, over profit.

Next time you’re out and about on the high street or simply shopping from the comfort of your computer screen, don’t forget to ask yourself where this product has come from and how it will come to be yours. It’s a learning curve, but it’s a small step we can all take in our day-to-day lives to be more mindful and connected to the world around us. Not only this, but one nice treat for you is double-ended: it’s a nice treat for us, too.

Created On 22 Sep 2025 10:30 - >>