Archive for December, 2008

The founder, designer and director of Fifi Bijoux, Vivien Johnston, is a leading light in the world of ethical jewellery production – she believes in setting a gold standard through her choice of Fairly Trading suppliers and the eco-friendly and sustainable manner of production. What’s all the more significant is that she’s been creating such a stir that in recent months she’s been invited to speak with and spread her wisdom to some of the biggest names in the gold and diamond mining industry. Fifi Bijoux is working on getting the word out on ethical jewellery production; how it should be done and the undeniably beneficial consequences. In this post Vivien writes about her  experiences during 2008 and what’s been happening in the world of ethical jewellery.

“This New Year, my resolution is to find those little spaces in the hectic pace of life. Those moments when you feel nothing but sheer delight and catch precious times with friends from afar or family you wish you could see more of.”

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Read the rest of A New Year’s Resolution from Vivien Johnston of Fifi Bijoux »

Wrapping illustration

Christmas is a stressful time of year, of that there is no doubt. At a time where we are required to be jolly, full of good cheer and be having the time of our lives, we are also expected to cook the best meal of the year, buy the perfect gift for our loved ones, attend every show and carol service that our children are in and look our best at every opportunity.

I can’t help you with any of that, I’m sorry. But if on top of all that, you wrestle with a guilty conscience throughout the festive season as I do, then I hope that these tips may be of some use.

Read the rest of Less guilt, less stress this Christmas »

Image of the Orla Kiely Wottle - from Brita

There were those amongst us who thought the Wottle would never happen, but today’s the day – Brita UK and the prominent contemporary designer Orla Kiely have brought it all together, and Ethicalsuperstore’s long awaited eco-friendly water bottle is on the shelves and raring to go.

Read the rest of The Wottle: let eco-friendly water bottle revolution commence »

Ecover is one of the true pioneers of the ethical products movement having recently hit its 25th birthday, famous for its green cleaning products and for building the world’s first “ecological factory” in Malle, Belgium, in 1992.  When I was invited by Ecover to visit in November, I couldn’t pass on the opportunity – it almost felt like receiving a golden ticket to see Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory (if only the Wonka Bar was Fairtrade!)

Read the rest of Inside the Ecover Eco-factory »

they loaded their skewers and coated it all in melted fair trade chocolate.

Last Thursday, over 50 people visited my house between 4pm and 8pm. Some stayed a few minutes; others a few hours. The lure? Not merely the opportunity to wish me a very happy birthday (which it was by the way, much to the relief of my husband!). No, they came for a dip in the chocolate fountain. Choosing from a wide range of fruit (fair trade or organic, of course), sweets and biscuits, they loaded their skewers and coated it all in melted fair trade chocolate. The ultimate guilt free treat.

For many there, it was the first time that they had considered the impact of their chocolate choices on those that grow the cocoa beans. The long hours, dangerous conditions, little or no pay, regular beatings – enough to put you off even your favourite brand.

Stop the Traffik organised the world’s largest fondue party to raise awareness and funds.

Read the rest of Retraining my taste buds – Fondue Follow Up »

Will there ever be sustainable palm oil?

Since it’s launch in 2004, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) finally delivered its first sustainable palm oil into Europe, which  shipped into Rotterdam last month.

Responsible for wide scale tropical deforestation and conflict between local communities, palm oil currently appears in anything from chocolates to cosmetics and is estimated to be in as much as half the products on average supermarket shelves.

Retail giants, such as Unilever and Sainsbury’s, have bought from this first batch. While Sainsbury’s Natural Resources Manager vouched for it’s authenticity, and claimed it to be of ‘a higher standard’ that ‘doesn’t compare with anything we have sourced before,’ Greenpeace were somewhat less convinced.

They said that although the palm oil could potentially be ‘something good’, the current RSPO’s standards and criteria are ‘not strong enough to guarantee that any of the palm oil it certifies is actually sustainable’.

Currently, 80 per cent of global production comes from Indonesian and Malaysian plantations and Greenpeace say it is the leading cause of forest destruction in Indonesia.

Are you still boycotting palm oil products? Do you have any products to recommend that don’t include palm oil? Let us know.

Read the rest of Green News Roundup November 2008 »

tie them anywhere, keep for longer than a single day

With so many ‘World Days’ littering the calendar it’s increasingly easy to lose focus on some of the really important ones.

Whilst you may be forgiven for not being in tune with World Television Day (21^st November), nodding off during World Sleep Day (March 21^st) or resisting the urge to confuse everyone you chat to on International Talk like a Pirate Day (September 19^th) let’s give some serious attention to World AIDS day.

The number of people living with HIV continues to rise in every part of our world – including in the UK. There are now an estimated 35 million people living with HIV worldwide and 80,000 people living with HIV in the UK. For the last 15 years the red ribbon has been the international symbol of HIV. Wearing a red ribbon is a great way to raise awareness about HIV as well as to break down stigma and prejudice, so make sure you wear one with pride this World AIDS Day.

There is more that we can do. As well as showing our support with the red ribbon today we can choose, as consumers, to place our spending behind products and organisations which make a difference too. Recently at Ethical Superstore we began to stock products from Global Ethics – the creators of two pioneering and innovative charity-funding ventures; One Water and One Condoms
They help communities in Africa who don’t have clean water supplies or are suffering due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

All profits from the One Condoms are used to fund HIV projects in Africa. The profits are used to fund Voluntary Counselling & Testing outreach clinics – teams of nurses and counsellors are taken out to rural communities to help educate and raise awareness of HIV and HIV-related issues as well as testing for HIV.

I’m sure there are many other ways to show practical support too. I’m not proposing that we start a campaign for a ‘World Day of thinking more carefully about the impact of what we buy’ but it is an idea we should try, often.

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