Weaving Fair Trade and Silk

Fair Trade products are made from a variety of materials.  Whether it is cotton, burlap, wood, stone, or even recycled items, the materials have to come from somewhere, and the people who create or harvest those materials deserve fair treatment for their labor just as the artisans do.

And so it is with silk.  There is actually a long and involved process before silk scarves can be made.  We know silk to be the soft and colorful scarves we wear in the summer, or the sturdy and cozy material we use for bedsheets, but the cloth we know as silk is actually a product of skill and thousands of years of east Asian tradition.

Silk is a thread made from the cocoons of silk moths.  But before those cocoons must be made, the silk worm must feed on lots and lots of mulberry leaves.  This and and lots of fresh air is necessary for the silk worms to stay healthy, otherwise they could get sick and their silk will be of low quality.  When the worm is ready it will spin a silk cocoon around itself which will take about two days to complete.  Humans have been harvesting silk moth cocoons for 5000 years, so long that the insects are now completely dependent upon man because of such selective breeding, and have lost the ability to fly.  There are many species of silk worm. The white is preferred because of its higher production rates, but other kinds such as the yellow silk worm are primarily found in places like Cambodia.  

After the cocoons have been harvested they are boiled to soften the fibers, then the worms are removed and the cocoons stretched and spun into thread.  It is this thread that is dyed and woven into the high quality products we enjoy so much! 

Hear Fair Trade Roar

Yesterday was International Women's Day, so The Welcome Mat would like to discuss all of the benefits Fair Trade has to offer to all of women kind. Even though Fair Trade is beneficial to everyone, not just a specific gender or race, for women in particular what fair trade does can mean so much more.

Opportunities for work- In the long run it can be harder for women to find employment then it can be for me, especially since the list of "female jobs" is significantly lower than that of "male jobs." But Fair Trade companies intentionally provide jobs for women, giving them a foothold in the work force and an ability to provide for their families in a way that they were previously unable. Divine Chocolate is a good example of a Fair Trade company that is empowering women to have a stronger part in their communities development.

Education and training- Many Fair Trade companies do not just provide jobs, but training in the community for work in their company as well as other professions as well. Asha provides training in catering, education, and childcare.
Issues that affect women are issues that affect everybody, except a lot of the time it can be harder for them to overcome these issues because of their culturally lower place in society. Fair Trade gives women around the globe a leg up to a better life, and empowers them economically in ways they have so far struggled to achieve.

Education for their children- It's a little hard to teach your kids to read in addition to working. For many families in impoverished countries education and schooling is a luxury. However with the extra money received through fair trade, smaller communities are able to build schools and buy materials for their children's education. A good example of this is Rishi Tea, whom as we've said in our blog The Power of Tea has helped build schools in Asia in addition to other types of community development.

Better health care- Health care is a big issue all over the globe, especially for women. In addition to schools, the extra money received from Fair Trade programs helps provide medical care that would otherwise be unavailable to them. For instance, Tinsaba in Swaziland, Africa provides a mobile homeopathic clinic to combat the AIDs epidemic in their community.

Fair Trade Weddings

Now that the tinge of Valentine's day is fading from the air, and spring is whispering on our calendars, love and new beginnings are on the mind. For many this means a slough of weddings to attend as the late spring/early summer brides put the finishing touches on their big day. Fair trade can be incorporated into every part of our lives, and wedding ceremonies are no exception. Fair trade has everything you need to say some ethical "I dos."

• Stationary: When preparing the announcements or invitations for your wedding, give Vinati's Paper a look. Vinati's supply stationary specifically for wedding invitations.
• Clothing: Mata Trader's makes dresses for bridesmaids and flower girls, but of course things get a little trickier when it comes to the bride's dress. As of right now there is a lot of green and organic options, but if you want something with an actual fair trade label then its not who makes the dress, but what its made of that matters. Fair trade cotton is actually growing in popularity for every day wear as well as wedding wear.
• Flowers: While many fair trade sources are primarily based in the UK, we are lucky in America to at least have nationwide access to fair trade flowers. One World Flowers delivers across the country!
• Gifts: Of all of the categories this would be the easiest to accomplish. After all, if you want a fair trade lifestyle then just direct your friends and family to buying your house wear items at fair trade stores like The Welcome Mat! And that isn't even all. As we've said before there is fair trade wine and champagne available, as well as ethical jewelry to match your gown.

The Fair Trade Federation supplies even more great tips in their Fair Trade Wedding Guide. With these ideas you and your spouse to be will be ready to walk down the aisle Fair Trade style.

Handmade Expressions

As a global fair trade store, The Welcome Mat sells products from all over the world, sourced by multiple organizations. One of our largest wholesalers, especially for our selections from India, is Handmade Expressions. Founded in 2005 by Manish Gupta, this company partners with multiple NGO's and grassroots artisan co-operatives that source fair trade products from India. Many of the artisans that Handmade Expressions employs have been marginalized in some way, making them innovators in the empowerment of these people, enabling them to compete in the global market through socially and environmentally responsible products.

The Welcome Mat values the legwork that Handmade Expressions undertakes to make it possible for fair trade stores everywhere to obtain these unique items efficiently and reliably. Handmade Expressions believes that "economic sustainability and social empowerment are the keys for community development." With this in mind, it is their mission to bridge the gap between the talented artisans and the modern global market by providing them with the resources to compete with education, fair wages and health care. They also encourage artisans to be environmentally responsible by using as many recycled materials as possible.

As one of a kind and unique as the products made by Handmade Expressions are, the artisans themselves are much more valuable and important. Handmade Expressions gives these hardworking artisans opportunities to better their lives. It is exciting to see the good that Fair Trade is doing all around the globe and it is a movement that The Welcome Mat is certainly proud to support.

Fairtrade Fortnight: Two Weeks for Ethical Standards

Last October The Welcome Mat celebrated Fair Trade Month by explaining the beginnings of fair trade, however our fair trade friendly neighbors overseas celebrate Fair Trade Fortnight, and this year it begins February 27th to March 11th!

Luckily for us, this years theme doesn't exclude the new world from participating in the fair trade festivities. This year the Fair Trade Foundation is encouraging everyone to "Take a Step for Fair Trade." It can be any step, big or small, that integrates fair trade into our lives more than it has been before. Maybe you could buy fair trade coffee for your office next time its your turn to buy, or you could make a change permanently to fair trade sugar for your household.

Fair Traders from across the globe are cataloguing their steps on the official Fair Trade Fortnight site. The foundation's goal is to reach 1,500,000 steps by the end of 2012. As of right now the recorded steps number nearly 7000, but more can still be done, and the fortnight has yet to even start! Each step we take whether it is as simple as requesting fair trade options at your local super market, or as big as organizing a fair trade chocolate tasting at your school, supports the fair trade cause! So what can you do? The Welcome Mat is here as always to help you out, because every step is just another piece of the journey towards an ethical market.