Join the Fashion Revolution Week (18-24th April)
Join the Fair Trade Enterprises community in tackling the fashion crisis! Be part of the revolution that will transform the fashion industry. Our community will showcase alternatives like natural and climate-friendly artisanal fashion. We will be showcasing how we can slow down fashion through business models and low-carbon practices. Follow us on social media to join.
Beyond Beautiful Collection: Featuring Manos del Uruguay and Kapula
Manos del Uruguay
From Uruguay to the world. This Uruguayan Fair Trade Enterprise excels in giving economic opportunities for women and producing high-quality textile products from natural materials and dyes. Get a sneak peek of their textiles here.
Kapula
A Kapula candle design is unmistakable - it's colourful, brave, and reflective of Africa's vibrant spirit. Each product is created by an expert artisan from Bredasdorp, South Africa. See sample products on our Beyond Beautiful site!
Fair Trade shop: Cose dell’Altro Mondo
This month we are travelling to Itri, Central Italy (about 150 km from Rome) to meet Cose dell’Altro Mondo. Founded in 2005, Cose dell’Altro Mondo is a Fair Trade shop run by volunteers that focus on spreading the principles of Fair Trade, Ethical Finance, Social Justice and Critical Consumption, both through the sale of ethically produced and sustainable products and through participation in public initiatives, raise awareness campaigns and several trainings, delivered also to children. Cose dell’Altro Mondo is also part of Libera, an association that supports cooperatives that fight mafia and organised crime by operating with confiscated assets and giving them the chance to manage them to increase social cohesion and solidarity within their communities. Cose dell'Altro Mondo is a member of Equo Garantito - the Italian Fair Trade Network.
Fair Trade town in focus: Ebolowa (Cameroon)
From Italy to Cameroon, we are taking you to the town of Ebolowa, which was declared a Fair Trade town in 2016. Ebolowa is a young, dynamic and enterprising town in Southern Cameroon where cocoa is abundant and represents an important source of income for many of its inhabitants. They even have a chocolate brand “Keka Wongan,” which was launched in 2016 and carries the “made in Ebolowa” stamp which they established in partnership with the Belgian city of Brugge. As a Fair Trade town, Ebolowa is actively involved in awareness raising on Fair Trade issues.
FAIR TRADE MOVEMENT REACTS TO DRAFT EU RULES ON SUSTAINABLE CORPORATE DUE DILIGENCE
On 23 February, the European Commission unveiled the long-awaited EU legislative proposal to foster sustainable and responsible corporate behaviour and to anchor human rights and environmental considerations in companies’ operations and corporate governance. The FTAO welcomes the proposal as a major milestone to ensure that businesses address adverse impacts of their actions, including in their value chains inside and outside Europe. The Fair Trade movement reacted to the proposal by pointing out that the effectiveness of the proposal may be limited on certain accounts and for this reason, it is calling for improvements in order for the legislation to generate meaningful change. Read more about the Fair Trade movement’s reaction to the draft proposal here.