Fair Trade Products and Companies

by Mandi on October 4, 2010

fair trade products fair trade products fair trade products
fair trade products fair trade products fair trade products
fair trade products fair trade products fair trade products

A couple of weeks ago, I shared the definitions of some common “green” terms, and I mentioned that fair trade is the one that my family considers the most important to pursue, although we’re still learning what exactly that means and where to find those products.

As we head into the Christmas shopping season, I wanted to highlight some fair trade companies and their products. It’s really cool to me to think that we can help families around the world, not just through donations but also through supporting their businesses by buying fair trade. And I love that purchasing from around the world (even though it may not be the most environmentally-friendly thing to do because of shipping, etc.) also helps me to introduce my children to the rich culture of countries around the world!

Here are some of the fair trade companies I’ve discovered. Feel free to share your favorites in the comments as well!
fair trade products
1. Recycled Tire Tube Wallet (El Salvador) from Come Together Fair Trading Company, $30

fair trade products

2. Set of 3 Crimson Velvet Ornaments (India) from World Finds

fair trade products

3. Hand Puppet Animal Pals (Peru) from Global Exchange, $19.99

fair trade products

4. Cotton Reversible Pin Stripe and Green Bag (Nepal) from Earth Lover, $34

fair trade products

5. Zanzibar Orange Necklace (Uganda) from 31 Bits, $28

fair trade products

6. Wood and Pearl Bracelet (Bali) from Five Accessories, $10

fair trade products

7. Organic Fair Trade Unsweetened Cocoa from Greeley Road Cafe, $8.95

fair trade products

8. Velvet Travel Set (Vietnam) from Gaiam, $32

fair trade products

9. Handmade Girlfriends Pin (Kenya) from Ten Thousand Villages, $14

This Christmas season, will you be shopping for fair trade gifts?


  • http://www.thediscombobulatedmommy.blogspot.com Heather

    My favorite gadget case is my Targus laptop bag. It carries so much and and still protects my laptop. Used it when when we traveled and conveniently carried all of cords, laptop, DVD player (for the kids), ipod, and camera. Awesome.
    I Love #4…might have to ask Will to get it for me for Christmas! Thanks for the idea :)

    • Mandi

      That’s awesome, Heather — I definitely like carrying one bag rather than a dozen!

  • http://bernicewood.wordpress.com Ramblings of a Woman

    Oh, I need a new laptop bag! Number 9 is CUTE!
    Bernice

    • Mandi

      I don’t need a new bag, but that’s the one I keep looking at too!

  • http://momskitchenandstuff.com Brittany @ Mom’s Kitchen and S

    They need to invent one large gadget that is capable of doing all this stuff…then we would only need one case :)

    • Mandi

      LOL! So, so true!

  • http://simpleorganic.net Katie

    Ten Thousand Villages is one of our favorites. Also, there is an awesome company called Trade as One. You can host a Trade as One party in your home and people can place their orders online and pay the company directly. It’s fabulous. Our church hosts them every year.

    • Anonymous

      Ooh, good to know, Katie!

  • guest

    worldcrafts is another great company – it helps people all around the world and pays them a real wage – they support women getting out of lots of awful situations

  • guest

    worldcrafts is another great company – it helps people all around the world and pays them a real wage – they support women getting out of lots of awful situations

    • Anonymous

      I love this. Very similar to 31bits, and it’s incredible to think of supporting these women around the world!

  • http://momskitchenandstuff.com Brittany

    YAY for Come Together Fair Trading! They even donate 20% of sales to Compassion International :)

  • http://www.se7en.org.za Se7en

    This is interesting!!! You are so right of course!!! I never go back if I am pulled away for a photograph… For myself, I mostly use the “blank” open in a new page option but still… I often change the link away from the photograph source to a source I would like a reader to go to… a tutorial or a round up or something… getting readers to read deeper… I need to be more conscious of this though!!! Thanks again and again for all your great tips!!! 

    • http://yourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

      That’s a really interesting idea — I really like the idea of linking to some place specific that provides more/different information!

  • http://www.1momsmission.com Selena

    I have been using that link to put the image credit link.  Example:  the link to the flickr page I got it from.  Is that wrong?  Thanks for the tips!

    • http://yourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

      Oh, no, that’s perfect. That’s what I do too (although I would add target=”_blank” to the HTML so it opens in a separate tab, but that’s personal preference).

  • http://www.techgeekgirl.com/ Michelle Mista

    If you have self-hosted WordPress and want to include clickable images that show up on the page, try using the Lightbox plugin. This plugin displays the linked image on its own on a darkened background; clicking anywhere outside of the image itself will return you to the page. Very helpful plugin.

    • http://yourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

      Ooh, I like it! I didn’t know about that plugin!

  • Brandi Fink

    Thanks for the tip! Very informative.

  • http://yourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

    Yep, that’s another really good example of a good time to link them! Thanks for chiming in!

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