Cyber Monday: Fair Trade Deals!

11.26.2012

Since it's Cyber Monday and you might be shopping online, I thought I'd mention some "deals" that are also fair trade!

You can read my previous posts about Fair Trade and Human Trafficking (or holiday spending in general) if you're wondering what spurred this post. It's something I care deeply about but also one of the most frustrating and complicated issues I've ever encountered. It's certainly not as simple as changing your buying habits.

Even so, small changes can be positive and I wanted to share these since I've experienced how hard it can be to find fair trade products (though there are a ton out there).

S.E.T. Boutique
www.setboutique.com
*Entire shop 50% off during November*
*When you spend $20 or more they donate $5 to a charity or non-profit of your choice*
*Free shipping on orders of $100 or more*

I've been having a hard time finding fair trade products that aren't jewelry or coffee. I was delighted to discover S.E.T. Boutique whose motto is "Proof that fashion can be ethical." They have lots of apparal (that's affordable and cute), accessories, housewares, travel products, and even a men's section. The products on their site are an accumulation of several fair trade companies and manufacturers. It is a great option for Christmas shopping and they have some great deals for November!

Light Gives Heat
www.lightgivesheat.org
*Use code: CYBERMONDAY for 25% off everything*
*Free necklace with orders over $45*
*Free shipping on orders over $45*

Affordable, ethical, jewelry and accessories with a story.

Made By Survivors
www.madebysurvivors.com
No specific Cyber Monday sales.
Jewelry, bags, and kids stuff.

The jewelry is not just beaded/handmade. There are some really great silver pieces.

I couldn't find any information about the materials used in these products. I suspect that they would mention it if they were using materials that were explicitly fair trade since that's a selling point. Since they don't, I have to assume the materials aren't, or at least may not be, fair trade. However, the profits from these products are going towards education and awareness, skill training, rescue and aftercare for survivors, and the products themselves are crafted by survivors who receive fair wages and work in good conditions.

NightLight
http://store.nightlightinternational.com/
*Free angel ornament on orders over $150*

Along similar lines to Made by Survivors, I can't verify if the actual products being made are fair trade, but their profit goes towards advocacy. They specialize in jewelry parties (like Lia Sophia style) that promote awareness, but you can order their products online at the site above.

Trade as One
www.tradeasone.com
*15% off as part of Fall Sale*

Food, drink, apparel, gifts, home goods, health and beauty, clothing etc.

Again, I can't verify where the materials come from, but the production of all these products are certified fair trade.

International Justice Mission
http://www.ijm.org/
"Worship Fully. Spend Less. Give More. Love All."


IJM is a well respected human rights organization. If you'd like to go the route of donating money to the cause rather than buying a tangible gift you can donate to an organization in someone's honor. IJM has set up a Holiday Gift Catalog that allows you to do that.
(Edit: Also a cool thing about this is that you can choose where your money goes. You can specifically buy an aftercare package for a survivor, pay for someones trial fees, pay for trauma counseling, help rebuild a home, etc or even choose the specific country you'd like to money to go to).

Additionally they have a holiday initiative going called the Advent Conspiracy (http://www.ijm.org/content/advent-conspiracy) that really challenges you to change your Christmas habits. I encourage you to check it out. It's pretty awesome.

Other great organizations:
(and great fair trade products)

http://foreverfound.org/
http://iamatreasure.com/
http://www.maliadesigns.com/
http://www.destinyrescue.org/us/
http://www.meant4moreapparel.com/
http://viventecoffee.com/
http://www.saksaum.com/
http://isanctuary.org/
http://www.slaverynomore.org/
http://www.fleshthemovie.org/
http://www.notforsale.org
http://www.polarisproject.org/
http://www.poetice.org/
http://www.love146.org/


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