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| Our Environment |
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We believe in minimizing the impact our business has on the environment and strive where possible to use recyclable and naturally biodegradable materials in our products, like our naturally biodegradable 100% jute shopping bags. We are also continuously review how to reduce the use of plastic and other materials, in our product packaging. We work hard to meet our customer delivery demands, including on time delivery to eliminate the possibility of air-freighting goods. And we only use post-consumer waste paper for our business stationary …that’s the paper we all throw away (which has greater environmental benefits than simply using off-cuts from paper mills). Fancy that?? ..have a look at our fair-trade recycled (post-consumer waste) paper products!! |
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We are committed to environmental responsibility. We sell products that enhance our customers' relationships with fair trade and continually seek to minimize the adverse impacts that producing, marketing and distributing these products have on the environment. The Fair-trading Company conducts business in an environmentally responsible manner, aspiring to use the best environmental practices within our industry. We encourage wise use of natural resources and
respect for the environment among all of our stakeholders. We invest considerable time into understanding and addressing environmental issues associated with paper and its production for our literature.
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We support Corporate Social Responsibility and have a voluntary policy to make every effort to ban substances from manufacturing that could pose health and environmental risks, which also adheres to IFAT requirements (International Federation of Alternative Trade). For example all our products textile products are free of the cancer causing AZO dyes. For more information,
http://www.allbusiness.com/ /929729-1.html
We also realize this is an ongoing challenge, and therefore we are committed to continually seek ways to improve our environmental practices. We will continue to share our goals and accomplishments as we move forward with our sustainability initiatives. We encourage you to revisit for periodic updates on our progress, or to send us your questions or suggestions, to
info@thefairtradingco.com.
A word on fair trade & Climate Change from The Fairtrade Association of Australia and New Zealand (FTAANZ) Newsletter Spring 2007
“Most Fair trade products are transported by sea and not flown – per mile, international shipping is less carbon intensive than air freighting.
Believe it or not, food miles are not the biggest element of a product’s carbon footprint. In fact it is usually a small proportion of the overall carbon footprint of a product The carbon footprint includes the method of growing and production, how and where it is sold, the customer journey, the packaging, consumption and final disposal. To draw on UK research –Airfreight is 0.1% of total carbon emissions, and transportation of fair trade products in 2005was estimated to be just 0.03% of food mile emissions.
Unfortunately buying local is not always better for the environment. Whilst buying in season from sustainable local producers can be a very positive way of reducing impact on the climate, it’s important to consider not just where a product comes from, but how it has been produced, including use of land, chemicals, hothouses or natural resources. Many everyday items such as sugar cane, cotton, cocoa, coffee and tea are grown in tropical climates of developing countries with a minimal use of carbon-producing energy.
Buying fair trade products can help to tackle climate change, because it is vital for their economic and social development and provides a livelihood for millions of farmers and workers. With premiums from fair trade, farmers can implement environmental protection programmes that will benefit all of us. Coffee farmers in Costa Rica have invested in replanting native trees to prevent soil erosion and have purchased environmentally friendly ovens that are fuelled by recycled coffee hulls and the dried shells of macadamia nuts. In India, tea farmers have invested part of the fair trade premium in a solar paneled heating system for the local health centre, replacing the wood burning one. They have created their own communal compost heap which is used organic fertilizer for the tea bushes. ”
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