According to the UN’s Food & Agricultural Organisation, we waste 1.3 billion tons of food per year across the world. To put that in perspective, if we’re talking about ton bags of rice, you’d be able to cover over 1,000 square kilometers with the amount of wasted food. And, to put that in perspective, that’s two thirds of the surface of London covered in food. It’s also the same amount produced in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.

So, why do 1 in every 7 people still go to bed hungry? This World Environment Day (5th June) the theme is ‘Think. Eat. Save’.  It’s all about encouraging us to become more aware of the environmental impact of the choices we make about sourcing our food, and what we do with it.

It’s estimated that global food production occupies a quarter of all habitable land, accounts for almost three quarters of fresh water consumption, 80% of deforestation and 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, all of which hamper biodiversity and have a huge environmental impact.

Did you know, it takes over 1,000 litres of water to produce 1 litre of milk? It also takes about 16,000 litres of water (in feeding a cow) to make one hamburger. The amount of natural resource it takes, as well as the resulting emissions from the cow right through to powering industrial chilling cabinets that keep the food cool each our of each day. We waste an awful amount in the quest for convenience.

That’s why it’s important for us to take on the message of World Environment Day this year, and purposefully choose foods with minimal impact. Whether it’s locally grown fresh fruit and vegetables or organic products that don’t use chemicals in their production process, the food we buy must be responsibly sourced and sustainably made. Choosing ranges like our organic Suma food are a great way of thinking of the environment with our buying. Organic food is not a preserve of the wealthy; it’s simply a way of farming using no synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilisers, solvents or food additives. It ensures that harmful chemicals do not pollute our food, our planet or ourselves.

With the population of the world set to increase by almost 30% in 2050 (to 9 billion!) it’s more important than ever we look after this floating ball of rock we all call home.

You can find out more about World Environment Day here.

To see what you can buy more responsibly, you can also shop organic food right here at Ethical Superstore.

11th May 2013 is World Fair Trade Day

Today is World Fair Trade Day – a day when we celebrate the contribution that fair trade producers, importers, retailers and consumers are making to changing the very rules of trade. Rules which are stacked against the poorest people around the world. Rules that often leave them in abject poverty despite working long hours, in sometimes terrible conditions. Fair Trade seeks to redress that imbalance. Fair Trade is a movement to empower those who have little power in the world’s supply chains.

The terrible tragedy that occurred just outside Dhaka in Bangladesh reminds us of what happens when we put cheap prices ahead of treating people with dignity and respect. With more than 1000 people now confirmed dead, it is difficult to comprehend that there is a direct link between our cheap cloths and this unprecedented tragedy. While many bigger businesses now need to give serious and urgent consideration to their supply chains, you can buy confidently from fair trade suppliers knowing that they already are putting people first.

So what are we going to do from today onwards to make the world a fairer place?

Read the rest of World Fair Trade Day – What are we doing to make the world a better place? »

Many of you will remember the G8 leaders coming to Edinburgh in 2005 and the whole Make Poverty History campaign that was used in the run up to it. The aim was to keep poverty on the political agenda and 225,000 of us marched around the streets of Edinburgh to make sure the G8 knew we were watching. Bob Geldof organised Live 8 and there was a general mood optimism that things could be different.

There has been some progress on making the world a fairer place but organisations like Oxfam and Christian Aid still believe there is much more to do.

In 2013 the G8 are coming to the UK again and the UK’s biggest aid agencies are planning to keep the goal of ending abject poverty on the world leaders’ agenda.

This year the campaign is called “Enough for Everyone if…” and the campaign has a number of objectives that they believe will help bring about an end to poverty.

The coalition believes that there is that there is Enough Food For Everyone IF:

• we give enough aid to stop children dying from hunger and help the poorest families feed themselves.
• governments stop big companies dodging tax in poor countries.
• we stop poor farmers being forced off their land and grow crops to feed people, not fuel cars.
• governments and big companies are honest and open about their actions that stop people getting enough food.

You can find more details about the campaign on the Enough Food for Everyone IF website but we particularly enjoyed this video produced by the campaigners:

The big event will be on June 8th in London so get the date in your diary now.

Of course, here at Ethical Superstore we are working hard to be part of the solution to poverty too. A number of our suppliers and partners including Liberation, Divine Chocolate, Pants To Poverty, Traidcraft and Fairtrade Foundation are members of the coalition. Buying fair trade goods and supporting organic agriculture are actions we can all take that will help to reduce poverty and allow people the dignity of earning a fair wage for their labour.

We are currently recruiting for an online sales and marketing manager.

Online Sales and Marketing Manager

Have you got what it takes to tell the world about ethicalsuperstore.com and its sister sites? Do you know your PPC from your SEO or your CPM from you CPA? If so read on.

Spark Etail owns and operates a number of multi-channel (online and print) ethically minded brands which operate in a growing ethical market in the UK (including ethicalsuperstore.com and naturalcollection.com). We are looking for a Sales & Marketing Manager who has first-class experience in e-commerce, working with external agencies and growing sales through targeted, tactical marketing.

As the Sales & Marketing Manager, you will have oversight and input into our entire e-commerce strategy. You will set budgets, create marketing plans and sales forecasts and analyse marketing activity and return on investment of multi-channel campaigns from top-line down to individual customer level.

You will work with our existing team and with external agencies on everything from PPC, SEO, Social Media Marketing, PR as well as Email and Catalogue Marketing.

• Apply via Linkedin »
• Apply via Jobsite  »
• Apply via Indeed  »
• Apply directly via Spark Etail Careers site »

Each year around this time we celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight, a time where everyone can do what they can to spread the word about Fairtrade.

It has remained at the centre of what we do at Ethical Superstore since we started out in 2005. Whilst also offering a range of other ‘ethics’ by which we select and support the products we sell, Fairtrade has, by far, the strongest and most increasing presence not only in our own product range but also more and more on the high street.

Read the rest of Fairtrade?… Fair Point »

Like it or not, those living in the Mediteranean region enjoy a longer life that we Northern Europeans.  This could be for a number of reasons; increased exposure to the Sun, for example but many credit the mediteranean diet with the this much sought-after longevity.

This is where Ateronon comes in.  It has been said that the Medeteranean diet can now be found in capsule form, harnessing the power of a compound called Lycopene, found in the skin of tomatoes and other red fruits.

Ateronon is a highly bioavailable, daily lycopene-based food supplement, which helps to support cardiovascular health and healthy cholesterol levels by inhibiting oxidative stress. In clinical studies, Ateronon has been shown to inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol (‘bad’ cholesterol) by up to 90% after 8 weeks of daily use.

David Fitzmaurice, of Birmingham University says; “If this modified lycopene really does have an effect on blood vessels, then it could have a beneficial effect on virtually every inflammatory disease process, including things like arthritis or diabetes,”

Ateronon comes in a convenient months supply of 30 capsules at only £29.99.  Get yours today!

Armed with a caravan, solar laptop and toothpaste made from washed-up cuttlefish bones, former economics student Mark Boyle decided to give up using cash.

His ideas and solutions touch on a common theme that many of our suppliers work towards, in particular, Rapanui; the degrees of separation between the consumer and the environment.  When we buy stuff, it’s hard to know where stuff comes from, how it’s made or who made it.  Mark focuses on the same problems, he just went down a different road to a solution: by taking money out of the mix.  Along the way he’s found a load of other stuff changes when you reconnect the dots: More personal stuff; not just nature but communities, neighbours and friends.

Read the rest of No TV Extremist »

Ecover, one of Ethical Superstore’s most successful cleaning products brands, has made the leap and secured certification of cruelty free practices by being awarded the Leaping Bunny stamp of approval by Cruelty-Free International.

Despite holding policies against animal cruelty, Ecover has, until now, been unable to meet the very stringent criteria, which ensures a company products don’t harm fluffy, cuddly, wriggly or otherwise non-human beasts.

Read the rest of Ecover Gets Certified! »

Shhhhhhh – don’t tell anyone, but there’s FREE delivery on all orders until midnight if you spend over £20. Being a business based in the North East, everyone else is watching “the game”, so how about a sneaky offer to keep us all busy in the warehouse tomorrow? So whether the Magpies or the Black Cats win, do your bit to maintain harmony at Ethical Superstore towers by placing your order now! And don’t forget all other great offers still apply!

Check out the range now»

End at midnight Sunday 21 October 2012.

We’ve teamed up with our super cool friends at Rapanui to give away a free pair or ultra eco, super soft and breathable socks made from a bamboo and organic cotton blend.

Read the rest of Buy A Tee, Get Socks Free! »