Philosophy

Fair trade is the practice of paying a living wage, not employing children or forced labor, and providing safe work environments to those individuals who work in the factories that manufacture many of the items we currently use on a daily basis. The focus of this site is the textiles and apparel industries specifically.

For fair trade to become common place, we need big companies and corporations on board. While the many, small, independent, organizations selling fair traded items are vital to moving this cause forward, change on a large scale will only occur once big companies are enforcing their social compliance/code of conduct policies.

Today’s retail environment focuses on the consumer’s every want and need. This empowers consumers and gives us the opportunity to speak and have our voices heard. We can no longer purchase inexpensive products from third world countries without questioning the working conditions, hourly compensation, and the age of the workers involved to produce these products for our consumption. If we speak with our pocketbooks, companies will listen.

The aim of this portal is to make it easier for individuals to learn which companies in the textile and apparel industries are operating under ethical codes and which ones are cutting corners at the workers’ expense. This is a work in progress; if you do not see your favorite brand or store listed, feel free to complete the contact form below and I will search out any information that has been published regarding their business practices.

Thank you for visiting this site and please share the link with others who may be interested in promoting fair trade in the apparel and textile industries.