While we are fighting child labor in our industry of sports balls, several other groups are fighting the good fight in their respective industries. Learn more here.

I’m convinced that by marrying the Fair Trade movement to the No Child Labor movement, we can create a lasting solution that truly does eliminate child labor from this industry. How? By focusing on the root problem: extreme poverty.

While this is a complex matter (start with reading Jeffrey Sachs’ The End of Poverty), the simple one-sentence version is this: pay the parents a fair, living wage and they will not be forced to ask their children to work. As a family unit, they will be able to survive and thrive.

While this is an enormous worldwide problem, you can help today by supporting the Fair Trade movement and getting involved.

The Sierra Club celebrates World Fair Trade Day (WFTD) tomorrow with a well-written issue of the Green Trader.

The Sierra Club has an entire campaign focused on Trade.

They explain, “Trade is integrally linked to more traditional environmental issues such our access to clean air, clean water and open spaces to enjoy. The Sierra Club wants trade that is clean, green and fair, where peoples’ lives and livelihood’s are protected.”

For WFTD, Sierra Club is specifically encouraging its members to plug into their local communities through the suggestions listed here.

Enjoy the day tomorrow!

My friend Carmen runs the Fair Trade Federation. Although I can’t attend this year (new team member on the way), she asked me to let you know their annual conference is sure to be a worthwhile event.

FTF is inviting interested retailers, wholesalers, and friends to the 2007 conference - Changing Hands: The Work of Fair Trade - in Washington, DC from June 1-3. Please allow me to encourage you to go for the discussions about the future of fair trade and the practical seminars.  
 
On that Sunday, an exhibition of fair trade products will be open to the public on American University’s campus. For more information, hit their site, call 202-636-3547, or drop them an email.

The FLO writes a Producer Profile for each new organization that they certify to be Fair Trade. This is the one for Talon, our manufacturer in Pakistan.

It was written in June 2006, the summer before we launched Fair Trade Sports. The company noted in the profile called FairDeal Trading is my friend, business partner, and personal “professor”, Dr. Martin Kunz in London.

Although I don’t agree with everything in the FLO document - child labor has definitely NOT been “virtually eliminated” from this industry - it’s still a good document overall on the positive programs happening at Talon, including their medical program - a first in the sporting goods industry in Pakistan.
You can learn more about the benefits of purchasing Fair Trade soccer balls on Talon’s website.

The Fair Trade Resource Network (FTRN) raises consumer awareness about improving people’s lives through Fair Trade alternatives. They just launched a special offer as part of World Fair Trade Day, May 12, 2007.
When you contribute $100 or more to FTRN, we’ll give you a Fair Trade Sports soccer ball to organize your own Fair Trade soccer game on World Fair Trade Day.

By the way, any contribution to FTRN before May 12 will enter you into a raffle to receive one of our fairly traded soccer balls.

Since I came from the world of Fair Trade coffee, alot of folks ask me if I have that little black and white mark on my sports balls from Transfair USA.

The short answer is “not yet” as Transfair USA does not yet certify anything other than agricultural commodities, such as bananas and tea.

All our fairly traded sports balls, including youth soccer balls, volleyballs, and much more are instead certified by Transfair USA’s parent organization, the Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO).

FLO is the umbrella organization to which all country-specific Fair Trade labeling initiatives (like Transfair USA) report. I hope to have Transfair USA join our team in coming years and put their mark on sports balls as a category.

Speaking of Transfair USA, to celebrate World Fair Trade Day (May 12, 2007), they just launched a creative art contest for teachers and students grades 3-12.

The teacher submitting the most entries by May 15 will win one of our fairly traded soccer balls to share with their class. Imagine…a tangible way to remind your students how Fair Trade benefits children in other countries that is also fun on the playground! Learn more.

From our friends at Oxfam America comes this wonderful teaching tool to help both the young and old learn about the principals behind Fair Trade in a fun and memorable manner.

What a great educational game to use with a fairly traded soccer ball to demonstrate how global trade rules put some countries at a disadvantage!

Speaking of education, Andy Kerckhoff is one of my closest friends and a brilliant teacher in St. Louis. He regularly challenges his students to think well beyond their comfort zones and consider the enormous positive impact they can have in our world.

Here’s what his seventh graders came up with yesterday when presented with the challenge of how they could personally help the people of Africa…

Here is a brief update from our Talon Fair Trade Welfare Society in Sialkot, Pakistan. This is the sister organization to the workers’ union at Talon, the manufacturer of Fair Trade Sports balls.

I’d like to give you a direct glimpse - in their own words - of what the crew at Talon are achieving with the extra funds we pay through Fair Trade premiums (reminder: we do not pass these premiums on to you - we have no multi-million dollar TV ads to support).

Here’s an insightful excerpt from the reporting:

Micro credit is for income generation.Now people living happily life. Health Facilities.

Worker,stitcher and their families getting 100% free of cost medical facility.This facility is not available in over all sialkot scenario.Not even in Govt sector,multinational companies.In these companies and in government sector have specific limit for medical.But for our workers have no limit.We provide them 100% free.

If we consider employee status over all in Pakistan factory workers and football stitcher are third level workers,but our workers availing 1st class facilities in medical programme.

One thing very special here is no classicfication every workers and managerial level worker availing the facilities from the same listed hospital.Mean we have equel ploicy for all workers and managers.

Here is a PDF I made of the micro-credit loans. The addition of the highlighting is mine to call your attention to the type of projects being funded: reselling milk, welding shops, buffalo, carts, sweet shops, tractors, and a bakery.

Please consider telling two friends right now about our fairly traded soccer balls, and continue to support this wonderful work around the world!

For those of you who have not yet seen this in the news…there is a fellow in the UK who is living on nothing but Fairtrade items for two weeks. Fair Trade bananas, nuts, rice…you get the picture. His name is (of course) Fairtrade Man.

His mission is noble and he seems to be quite a nice fellow. So we sent him a birthday gift, including the trademark Fair Trade Sports tee shirt with one orange sleeve, and a soccer ball (a.k.a. football).

Here’s the video:



Happy Birthday, Fairtrade Man!

Ever wonder what a Fair Trade fashion show might look like? If you live anywhere near DC, you can find out on February 28.

A consortium of organizations* is producing the Fashion 4 Development show in the IFC Auditorium, to be followed by a reception at Pangea Artisan Market & Café.

We are joining a host of other companies supplying the show with fairly traded items, including Ten Thousand Villages, World of Good, Pangea, Be Sweet, American Apparel, Edun, Global Mama’s, Creative Women, Global Handicrafters, and many more.

If you are one of our East Coast readers, I’d encourage you to check it out. Ping Sheela Bykadi for more information.


* including the IFC, World Bank, DC Week for Fashion, Fair Trade Federation, and the Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund.