A new online marketplace connecting ethical shoppers with small artisan producers of ethically sourced, handmade and eco friendly products has launched at www.ethikl.com.au.You won’t find anything mass-produced. All of the products are one-of-a-kind pieces from gourmet food to handmade jewellery.

Buying and selling on Ethikl takes commerce back to a time before the Industrial Revolution when customers were intimately linked to the artisans that produced their goods. Social networking features on the site allow people to meet the makers of all the incredible products providing a way to make buying decisions that favour ethical products, be they fair trade, cruelty free, organic, recycled, handmade or produced locally.

Ethikl is the place where small, independent businesses can stay independent and reach buyers all over the world. Sellers have the opportunity to set up virtual storefronts to post their wares and share information. This direct selling model means the producer gets to keep almost 100% of the selling price of the product (whereas in traditional distribution anywhere from 50% of the ultimate selling price never makes it back to the producer). This adds a fundamental new dynamic to the small producer business model. The producer keeps the lion’s share of the profit and the consumer gets a unique product.

According to Peita Gardiman, the founder, one of the main aims of Ethikl is to promote and support the ethical consumer movement and encourage shoppers to make positive buying decisions, such as favoring ethical products, be they fair trade, cruelty free, organic, recycled, re-used, or produced locally.

“One of our goals is to change the way the economy works and begin to change people’s consumption habits. Many people are tired of mass produced, chemically- packed products and want to get back to basics,” says Peita.

“We live in a culture of excess, we want more and more and then throw it away faster and faster. When you buy something from Ethikl, there’s a story behind it. There’s a person behind it. If people start to rediscover handmade, natural products, they will learn to treasure them and become more ethical consumers.”

While there is nothing like the experience of going to a farmer’s market, smelling the fresh produce, tasting samples, and interacting with producers themselves, not everyone can afford the time, leisure, or access to do so, but now you can explore Ethikl’s online marketplace and discover handcrafted jewellery, clothing, homewares, unique gifts, specialty foods and more at www.ethikl.com.au

They make clothing from natural organic fabrics in a Fairwear Foundation audited, wind powered factory, but really what they are about is communication – It’s not that people dont care about child labour, the environment, our climate, it’s just they dont know. At Rapanui they make it easier for people to see where clothing comes from and how it is made so they can make informed choices. It’s called Traceability. www.rapanuiclothing.com

Get Active! Oxfam International is a leader in Fair Trade advocacy and campaigns from the grass roots to international trade level, supporting international trade justice. Oxfam also stocks fair trade products, available online and in their stores worldwide. To learn more and check out the links for Fair Trade in Australia, New Zealand, the U.S, Ireland, UK, Canada and Spain, go to:www.marketradefair.com

Sign the petition:  ‘The Big Noise’

 Watch the film trailer “BLACK GOLD” on Fair Trade vs Free Trade coffee and its massive impact in developing countries:

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It is time to make smart decisions as consumers and take responsibility for the end results of our demand. The inconvenient truth is no longer acceptable. Every dollar you spend has the power to invoke change.

3Fish is all about merchandise with cool design that makes a difference…..let’s change the world and have some fun doing it………more about 3Fish  

………more about 3Fish   

The Etiko brand has been created for the conscious consumer: consumers who realise that the way they spend their money can have an impact not just on their wallets but also on the environment and fellow humans around the world. Child labour and sweat shops have not disappeared and can be found around the world. From the villages of Pakistan, to the streets of Bangkok and the suburbs of Sydney, worker exploitation still occurs today.

The only way to combat this evil, in a business world fixated on maximising profits, is for all of us to start making a conscious decision to, whenever possible, only buy ethically produced products. Like other brands, Etiko doesn’t actually own any factories. However, unlike other brands they ensure our suppliers are either:

    * Certified Fair Trade
    * Certified Sweatshop Free
    * Worker or Farmer Owned Co-operatives

Their commitment to social justice goes beyond fighting child labour and sweatshops. Purchase of their products also helps fund community development, micro-credit and health care programs in countries around the world.

More Info www.etiko.com.au
 

In a number of situations like these, Good Shepherd Sisters have established skills training and employment generating projects for women and girls and some for the men and boys as well. These employment projects often have a local market focus e.g. a cooperative laundry in Davao, Philippines; a jam-making enterprise in Baguio, Philippines; the making of leather goods in Bangalore, India; a small bakery in Peru; a welding project in El Obeid, Sudan.

More Info www.thetradingcircle.com.au

moral fibre was started in 2002 to create & support opportunities for people in developing countries to benefit in an ethical and sustainable manner from the international market. They do this through the design, creation and sale of exceptional quality, stylish items produced under accredited environmental and Fair Trade practices.

They believe that increasingly consumers want to know the full ‘story’ behind the products they are buying so that both the planet and the people along the supply chain are treated with respect and dignity.

People want to be part of the ‘solution’ to poverty, social injustice and environmental degradation and will embrace opportunities to do so – at the same time they don’t want to compromise on quality or style.

Their bodies want to be wrapped in fabrics that are free of chemicals and pesticides and the associated negative consequences.

moral fibre aims to demonstrate that social and environmental integrity and profits can happily coexist. Ethics need not be compromised to be successful in the business world.

More Info www.moralfibre.com

Global Trade Watch is an Australian grassroots group campaigning for
democratic, environmentally sustainable and fair trading systems.

www.tradewatchoz.org

See Oxfam International’s interactive diagrams for easy to understand explanation of fair trade issues:

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For more information see website of leading independent Fair Trade org: World Of Good