Browsing: We LOVE

Our friends over at Rapanui clothing have some fantastic news.  In partnership with the University of Isle of Wight, they have developed something monumental.  A product that will change the face of textiles for ever.  Check out their press release…

Read the rest of Rapanui’s Groundbreaking Textiles Innovation »

We’re happy to announce…Our New Venture, the 365 Days Project!

Read the rest of The EthicalSuperstore 365 Project »

Is anything ever worth the wait?

We live in a society of individuals who do not like to wait. You only have to look at advertising to know that. We want it and we want it now. We want to buy now and pay later. We don’t want to wait until Christmas to have it .We might as well start using it now if we’ve got it. Let’s face it. Delayed gratification is a lost art.

There is a theory that delaying gratification increases the intensity of pleasure on receiving it. Having just started work in customer service, I like to assure people that it will be worth the wait. And I believe it. Take Luxury Gift Wrap for example. I usually buy bargain wrapping paper to wrap the enormous boxes that little children love to rip open at Christmas. But as the children get bigger, the parcels get smaller and this year, I was seduced by the Luxury Gift Wrap. Along with a significant proportion of the nation, so it seems. I couldn’t wait to see it and touch it, but now I know it’s in great demand, I want it even more. This must-have Christmas item for ethical shoppers has people all over the country waiting in eager anticipation. Wrapping Christmas presents has never felt so desirable.

That’s why internet shopping is like

Read the rest of Why I’m Going To Shop Online This Christmas »

The original FreeLoader is one of the most popular products here at EthicalSuperstore, and judging by the amount of customer queries we receive about it, you’re all keen to harness the power of the sun for your charging needs. However, with ever changing charging platforms and fancy new gadgets launching every week, it’s hard to keep up with the FreeLoader’s compatibility with your devices (and as I’m a Product Information Assistant it was starting to get to me!).

Well, the answer to all of your questions (and mine!) is here. The FreeLoader Pro is the ultimate, professional solar charger capable of charging your most power hungry, energy sapping gadgets and devices.

With a Multi Voltage switch allowing you to charge anything from your mobile phone and mp3 player right through to a digital SLR and video camera, it’s this years must-have green gadget for any tech-geek, eco-warrior, or light-stepping adventurer.

So, let’s just clarify;

Q: Will the FreeLoader Pro charge my iPhone 3G?

A: Yes!

Q: Can I charge my digital camera battery with the FreeLoader Pro?

A: Yes!

Q: Does the FreeLoader Pro have a battery level indicator?

A: Yes!

Ahhh, result.

Let’s just hope all of the products we stock don’t follow in the FreeLoader’s footsteps; ticking all of the boxes and answering all of your questions right out of the box, otherwise I might find myself out of a job!

There are many reasons why you choose your first bank. For some it was their parents who opened their account for them. For others it was the bank offering the best student bribe benefit. While for others it was just the convenience of which bank was located in their High Street. For me choosing a bank was a no-brainer. I come from a  “Co-op” family (pronounced “kworp” in the part of Manchester I am from). My great uncle was the Chief Executive of the Cooperative Wholesale Society – the Tescos of the 1950s when he was in charge. My grandpa was the chief actuary at the Co-operative Insurance Society in the 1970s. My brother-in-law still works for the Coop Bank today.

My mum was so brand loyal to The Coop that we even had to go to the Coop dentist which was appropriately on the corner of Redfern St in the centre of Manchester. Never did find out whether she got dividend on our treatment or not. In the early part of the 20th Century the Coop really could look after every aspect of your life. From baby food sold in the Coop supermarkets through to the funeral service which the Coop still dominates today. So in this context I opened a Coop bank account in 1986. I have laterally switched to their “fun” online brand Smile because I never need to go to a branch. But I have stayed loyal to the bank. And that loyalty isn’t much to do with heritage. It is down to the fact that they have taken ethics to their very core.

In 1989 they announced their ethical policy and overnight placed themselves in a different league to the other high street banks. The Coop Bank has conducted several stakeholder reports or social audits that look at the views of all of the Bank’s stakeholders. The report is independently audited and you can see clear action plans for how they are going to do more on each of the areas of concern. Even the CIS skyscraper in the centre of Manchester (where my Grandpa proudly had an office on the 19th floor) now has a giant solar panel down the whole of its south facing lift shaft. When you enter the reception you can see a giant display of how much energy is being generated.

And yet can I really say I love a bank after all the banking turmoil of the last 2 years? Well you probably won’t be surprised to learn that Coop Bank didn’t dash for the cash in the sub-prime market. In fact in March 2009 it actually posted a tidy profit for last year – rather in stark contrast to all the “state owned” banks who have fallen from grace.

I have no intention of moving my bank accounts and have already convinced 2 of my kids to bank with Coop. Perhaps it has always been in my DNA to bank with the Coop but they keep giving new ethical reasons to stay.

Bottled water attracts its fair share of bad press, maybe even more than its fair share.

One such example of this was when a government minister claimed that drinking bottled water should be made as unfashionable as smoking;

“We have to make people think that it’s unfashionable just as we have with smoking. We need a similar campaign to convince people that this is wrong,”

said Tim Lang, the Government’s natural resources commissioner.

And all of this negativity surrounding bottled beverages seems to be having an impact with recent figures from market research company TNS suggesting that last year bottled water sales fell by 9% (this on the back of approx 10 years of year on year increases in sales).

However, is the bottled water industry really so bad?

Read the rest of Bottled Water Doesn’t Have to Cost the Earth »

Mothers are great. They do so much for us every day, but sometimes we forget to say thank you quite as much as we ought to.

This is where Mother’s Day steps in – it’s a chance for us all to think about our Mums, and most importantly, it’s a chance to say a great big Thank You.

Here at EthicalSuperstore we’ve got loads to thank our Mum’s for…

But what is the best way to say thank you?

Our number one tip is to make sure you put thought into it – after all, whether you can be with your Mother on Mother’s Day or not, they definitely deserve recognition and some top notch looking after – they’ve certainly earned it.

We’ve got lots of Mother’s Day gifts here at EthicalSuperstore which might help you out on your quest for the perfect thank you. Flowers are lovely (especially fair trade flowers), organic pampering and natural beauty products are pure luxury, and ethical jewellery can’t fail to hit the spot, but I do feel like something a little more would be a good idea.

So we’ve racked our brains and come up with a masterplan…

…just click the promise voucher above, print it out, then fill it in as appropriate and deliver. Don’t limit yourself to Mother’s Day with this one – You could give a voucher any day of the year as it doesn’t actually need to cost you a penny – it’s definitely a case of ‘the thought that counts’, making it a perfect Credit Crunch busting Mother’s Day gift idea.

It’s the perfect way to treat your Mother, because you can tailor it perfectly – and even better for your Mum, she can cash in your gift whenever she fancies.

This is a gift that keeps on giving – it’s a surefire Mother’s Day winner!

Here is my third and final part of the A-Z of Fairtrade; enjoy!

R – RICE: “In 2000, FLO took the first steps towards the introduction of the Fairtrade Standard for Rice to open up new markets for the benefit of small farmers. Today a total of 15 rice producer organizations in Thailand, India, Egypt and Laos are Fairtrade Certified.” This means that more farmers are able to work their way out of poverty and provide for their families as well as avoid the vicious circle of debt which is typical of small rice farmers.

Image by Addictive Picasso (Flickr)

S – SUGAR: Sugar is one of the worlds’ most important and sought after commodities and is bought and sold around the globe. However, significant obstacles lie in the path of those small scale sugarcane farmers who struggle to earn a living. Farmers who produce Fairtrade Certified Sugar are guaranteed a Fairtrade Minimum Price for their produce and a Fairtrade Premium to invest in social and economic initiatives in their communities. Sugar producers are organised into cooperatives that are governed democratically and they must adhere to environmental standards which encourage sustainability and restricts the use of agrochemicals.

T – TRAIDCRAFT: Traidcraft work with more than 100 producer groups in over 30 developing countries to provide 450 fair trade food, craft and textile products. It was instrumental in setting up the Fairtrade Foundation which awards the Fairtrade Mark to products which meet internationally recognised standards. Established in 1979, Traidcraft’s mission is to fight poverty through trade, by practicing and promoting approaches to trade that help poor people in developing countries transform their lives. Traidcraft can also claim to have produced the first Fairtrade composite product, the Traidcraft Apricot Geobar.

U – UBUNTU: Ubuntu Cola was the first cola in the UK to get the Fairtrade Mark (back in 2007) and is made with Fairtrade sugar from the Kasinthula Cooperative in Malawi and from the Kaleya Cooperative in Zambia. Each year, Ubuntu give at least 15% of its profits to the Ubuntu Africa Programme which supports sugar producers and their communities and encourages entrepreneurial projects aimed at tackling poverty. As well as that, it tastes great too!

V – VAN DER HOFF: Frans Van Der Hoff, Nico Roozen and a Dutch development NGO, Solidaridad, pioneered the first Fairtrade Certification in 1988; Max Havelaar. In the same year the first ‘Fairtrade’ coffee from Mexico was sold into Dutch supermarkets. It was branded “Max Havelaar,” after a fictional Dutch character who opposed the exploitation of coffee pickers in Dutch colonies. In the late 80’s/early 90’s this initiative was replicated across Europe and North America to include the “Fairtrade Mark” in the UK and Ireland.

Read the rest of The A-Z of Fairtrade: Part 3 »

Here’s my A-Z of Fairtrade: Part 2; following on from Part 1.

Image by Mralan (Flickr)

J – JUICES: A lot of fruit used for juice production is grown on plantations ran by farmers who cannot compete with the International market in terms of production costs. This means that many plantations rely on temporary workers who face low wages and poor living conditions. The Fairtrade movement helps small farmers to survive on the world market by selling their products for a guaranteed price that is independent from market developments. Fairtrade also guarantees a fair wage for plantation workers and secures humane living and working conditions.

K – KENYAN FLOWER INDUSTRY:Fairtrade certification provides an independent verification that the workers on large-scale flower farms have decent wages and working conditions; including the right to join a trade union, the right to negotiate collectively with the employer on terms and conditions of employment, freedom from discrimination, no child labour, and a safe and healthy working environment.

January and February 2008 saw rioting and protests in Kenya due to charges of vote rigging following December elections which badly affected it’s three major foreign currency earners – tea, flowers, and tourism. On some Fairtrade certified farms premium money was used to assist the workers and management to be able to fulfill orders from the UK and other markets, despite fuel and fertiliser shortages and the need for military escort for all transportation.

February is obviously a crucial time for flower farmers, what with Valentine’s Day and Mothers Day orders coming in, and thanks to the Fairtrade Premium they were able to maintain production so that after the violence had passed, the business which so many people have come to rely on could function as normal.

Fairtrade flowers were first sold in the UK in March 2004 and the Fairtrade flower category now comprises 75 licensed products.

Similar organisations offer the opportunity to buy flowers grown with an emphasis on social sustainability and a controlled and traceable supply chain such as the Fair Flowers Fair Plants initiative.

The Fairtrade Label

L – LABEL: The Fairtrade Label or Fairtrade Certification Mark is is a registered certification label for products sourced from producers in developing countries. According to the Fairtrade Foundation, “For a product to display the Fairtrade Mark it must meet international Fairtrade standards which are set by the international certification body Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO). These standards are agreed through a process of research and consultation with key participants in the Fairtrade scheme, including producers themselves, traders, NGOs, academic institutions and labelling organisations such as the Fairtrade Foundation.”

Read the rest of The A-Z of Fairtrade: Part 2 »

70% of the population recognise the FAIRTRADE Mark

The first Annual Fairtrade Fortnight was back in 1995 and was marked by Justino Peck, a cocoa farmer from Belize, touring the country. The theme for this year is “Make it Happen – Choose Fairtrade”, and in keeping with this spirit, In the run up to Fairtrade Fortnight 2009 I attempted an ambitious A-Z of all things Fairtrade. From Accreditation to Zimbabwe and everything in between including the Fairtrade Label explained, profiles of some pioneering Fairtrade brands, and some key product areas in the Fairtrade arena.

A – ACCREDITATION: To carry the Fairtrade Mark each and every product and producer must go through an independent process of auditing and accreditation to standards set by FLO. Faritrade is a people’s movement for change that aims to tip the balance of trade in favour of poor producers. Fairtrade Fortnight is a celebration of the fact that when you buy a product bearing the Fairtrade Mark you can be confident that the producer has received a fair deal.

B – BANANAS: Currently, there are Fairtrade standards for 18 different product categories; bananas are one of these products. As the European Union is the biggest market in the world for bananas, a massive proportion of all bananas in the world are shipped to the EU every year. However, due to licensing, quotas and duty rates, banana producers in Latin America are at a severe disadvantage. Also, because of the time-sensitive supply chain, the banana industry is increasingly dominated by transnational corporations who control the markets and price.

Image by Simon Rawles

Due to the falling prices of bananas over recent years, the everyday life of a plantation worker or small farmer has worsened and is characterised by an unfairly low wage and poor working conditions.

Bananas bearing the Fairtrade Certification Mark have been produced on smaller scale farms or on plantations that adhere to very high socio-economic standards. The farmers are guaranteed a Minimum Price to cover production costs and receive a Fairtrade Premium to invest in social and economic initiatives that will benefit their communities.

Image by Simon Rawles

C – COTTON: It is estimated that 10 million people in the West Africa region depend entirely on cotton production for their living. According to the World Bank, this region is among the lowest-cost producers of cotton, but is losing world markets, and its cotton farmers are suffering rising poverty. With the hope of improving the lives of many of these farmers, the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO) developed Fairtrade Standards for cotton in 2005 and it is estimated that 28,000 farmers are benefitting from the initiative. According to FLO, “In the 2005/06 harvest, the income farmers received for Fairtrade Cotton compared to the cotton traded under conventional terms was 40% higher in Senegal and 70% higher in Mali.”

Read the rest of The A-Z of Fairtrade: Part 1 »