Transparancy
Transparency in Finances:
We purchase products outright at the market rate set by our partners to be able to pay their artisans a livable wage in their respective communities. All of our anti-trafficking partners are dedicated to providing full wages, childcare, scholarship funds for children, and healthcare. Other partners work to alleviate extreme poverty which is at the core of human trafficking. One thing to remember is that most artisans are not educated and come from communities where girls typically do not get educated. Some have been trafficked before reaching adulthood. Most artisans do not have the means to take care of their family financially and our partners are able to provide means for them to do that. For this to work nonprofits and businesses like ours play an important part in providing that income through sales. All profits from our sales go directly back into purchasing from our partners, creating a sustainable cycle of trade.
At Ethical Trade Co we fundraise separately for the wages of our staff as well as our overhead expenses.
Vetting of companies we work with:
At Ethical Trade Co we make sure that our suppliers work at or above fair trade standards. Some have the fair trade stamp of approval. Others are too small to have this stamp and we make sure that they work at or above fair trade standards by personally visiting them before they become suppliers or utilizing our extensive local network to vouch for the supplier.
Transparency in Culture
At Ethical Trade Co we believe that our suppliers that are working to empower artisans in their respective communities know best what their artisans need and how to do that. In great humility we work to challenge our own cultural assumptions and have open hearts to learn about cultural nuances that our suppliers navigate. At the core is the shared believe that every human being has intrinsic value and that exploiting a person for another persons gain is a injustice that needs to be remedied. No human should be for sale!