A few notes on fair trade tonight. Like cause branding, fair trade is a movement that is hitting the mainstream in a big way.
First, a quick update on my favorite fair trade topic, my son Brady and daughter-in-law Alicia and their growing online fair trade store called Two Hands Worldshop. They had a great holiday and are grateful to the readers of Citizen Brand who found their way there and perused the goods and made some purchases. They keep adding products from around the globe so check it out regularly and make your next gift one from Two Hands Worldshop.
Brady and Alicia have begun a blog as well. You can find it here. Both links to the store and the blog have a permanent and prominent place in the upper left column right here at CB.
Another great fair trade story is The Odegard Collection. Stephanie Odegard and her company make some of the finest rugs in the world but she makes sure they are made under reputable work conditions. She and her company were named one of Fast Company's Next best 50 business ideas recently and with good reason. In concert with 
the Rugmark Foundation, she not only has made sure her company sells the highest quality rugs but she cajoles suppliers to pay higher wages for employing only adults to make the rugs. It's a documented fact that Odegard and Rugmark have aided in pulling more than 3,000 children away from the rug looms and into school.
If you are a wine snob, you can become a fair trade wine snob by visiting Fairtrade.org and check out their nice wine list. If beer is more your style, then check out Chris O'Brien's Beer Activist blog.
Interesting dynamics are at work in the global economy. Big and bigger are still with us but it seems like it is the smaller and more nimble entrepreneurs who are leading the way in helping us all see how to act like true citizen brands.
Whether it be cause branding, fair trade or going green - companies can no longer afford to ignore these dynamics.
How does your company measure up?
Recent Comments