TOMS Shoes – Helping or Just Hype

According to TOMS Shoes Founder Blake Mycoskie, buy one pair of his company’s shoes and another pair will be given to a child in a poor country through his One for One Movement. His idea has quickly grown into a $100 million enterprise that has sold more than two million shoes over the past six years. That’s a lot of shoes. But besides that, it also means that two million shoes have been given to children who needed them.

Its popular style is its trademark “Classic” loafer and has introduced other designs including sequined shoes, ballet flats and wedges. Most recently the company introduced sunglasses and through its One for One program, for every pair of sunglasses you buy, vision screening will be provided to a child in need which may result in either prescription eyeglasses or corrective surgery.

By all accounts, it seems TOMS has the perfect socially conscious business plan, right? But dig beneath the surface and you may notice that the shoes are made in China. They are not a member of a fair trade organization. Glancing through its website and its FAQ pages show no mention of its manufacturing practices. I did find, on its Eyewear website’s FAQ page that its sunglasses were made in Italy. That’s it.

TOMS is no stranger to criticism. Kelsey Timmerman, author of Where Am I Wearing, documents the manufacturing conditions of some of the articles of clothing we may find ourselves wearing on a daily basis like Teva sandals and t-shirts. Last April he documented his concerns over TOMS Shoes which include that while providing shoes to children in need is great, it doesn’t really solve the larger problem of poverty.

According to Timmerman: “A takeaway from the One Day Without Shoes movement [one of TOMS Shoes' promotions] of, ‘we need to give shoes to these poor shoeless people,’ isn’t useful. But getting more people to think about poverty on this level is important and I think that’s something that the TOMS critics miss. I always say step #1 is getting people to give a shit.

“However, I do wish that TOMS would not just give shoes on the back end, but give quality jobs on the front end. Then impact of TOMS, unlike like a pair of shoes, wouldn’t wear out.”

Here’s the thing, as far as shoe companies go, TOMS is onto something. Their heart is in the right place and they are making things happen as opposed to sitting on the sidelines and waiting for things in our world to improve by doing nothing. But like Timmerman, I would LOVE to see TOMS Shoes have its shoes (and eyewear) created using fair trade practices in developing countries where its providing much-needed employment to people in need. Then those families can afford to purchase shoes for their children. One pair for one child is going to go so far. Yes, it’s a lovely gesture and has good intentions. But good intentions won’t put food on the table night after night. Let’s get to the root of the problem and not just the surface.

Do you own a pair of TOMS Shoes? Or will you buy a pair? I’d love to hear what you think of the company, its mission and, its shoes!

Peace,

~Megy

 

Link Community Benefit with Special Guest Former Deputy President of South Africa Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka

Link Community Development works with government and communities to improve the quality of education for children in Africa. It is currently working with over 2,000 schools in Ethiopia, Malawi, South Africa and Uganda. Among its programs are solar technology use in classrooms, HIV/AIDS prevention, and girls’ empowerment.

There are a number of reasons many children aren’t able too attend school in many countries. While school may be “free,” there are school fees, uniforms and other expenses, even nominal, that make attending school cost-prohibitive to many families. For other families, have a child attend school means they have one less set of hands helping out at home with farming duties or watching other children.

Malawi was one of the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to abolish primary school fees in 1994.  The impact was dramatic.  An additional one million children entered school, a 51 percent increase in enrollment from the previous school year. Despite this significant progress in enabling children to go to school, the “Big Bang” approach resulted in a rapid deterioration in quality.  Class sizes are exceptionally high, the number of children completing school is low and pupil drop-out rates are high.

Organizations like Link Community Development are in strong positions to have a significant impact on the education sector in Malawi as demonstrated by the real progress happening in the two districts in which they work right now.  Its successes will continue to be used to influence educational policy at a national level with the aim of bringing improvement to schools across the whole of Malawi. At its core is the Link Community Development vision of a world where all children have access to high quality education.

On Saturday, May 5, Link Community Development will host its annual benefit with Special Guest Former Deputy President of South Africa Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. It will be held at the elegant and beautiful Gruen Galleries in Chicago’s River North district from 7-10 pm. To purchase tickets, click here.

Children’s education is vital in breaking the cycle of poverty. It’s nice to see organizations like Link Community Development with programs that are working.

~Megy

Challenges of Certification for Fair Trade Crafts

Many of you know I’m pretty adamant about fair trade and what it is supposed to mean. It’s supposed to mean you’re 100% committed to fair trade and that includes paying artisans a fair wage, ensuring there is never any child or sweatshop labor, safe working conditions, being kind to the Earth’s resources and establishing long-term relationships with your artisans. It does not mean compromising your values to fit your needs or the bottom line at the expense of others.

Fair World Project‘s Executive Director, Dana Geffner, asked me how I felt about obtaining certification for crafts-based products (as opposed to commodities) since, in the United States anyway, my company cannot be “certified” in the same way a coffee or chocolate brand could be since my products are jewelry and not a commodity. This is tough because I can see what is happening with the fair trade movement and commodities and it’s not a pretty picture. The challenges for certification are plenty but how wonderfully utopian if we could achieve that status?

The result of Dana’s questions is part of the Spring issue of Fair World Project‘s issue. You can get a sneak peak of the article with this blog post. The full issue will be live online in a few weeks.

In the meantime, I’m proud to say World Shoppe Fair Trade is a member of the Fair Trade Federation (which has very strict guidelines and criteria for acceptance) as well as Green America and Chicago Fair Trade.

I know in my heart what we’re doing is what we can. But, man, how awesome would it be if we could have one set of ground rules that made sense for everyone?

Is Apple up for the task of becoming a FAIR TRADE company?

Last month I wrote about Apple’s decision to publicize its supplier list and its movement toward ensuring that no child labor is being used in the production of its electronics. Move in the right direction.

But it’s not just about child labor, it’s also about ensuring its employees are working in safe working conditions and are not being exploited. Apple, like I said in my post last month, isn’t the only electronics player in town so I don’t mean to be singling the company out, however it’s been in the limelight as of late because its electronics are such coveted commodities and I think people are really struggling with internal angst – people LOVE LOVE LOVE their iPhones, iPads, i-anything. But when they learn about how the people who are making their beloved products are being treated, it begins to taint their image of the company they’ve been worshiping to over many years.

Yesterday’s Washington Post ran an article, Apple’s Big Chance to ‘Act Differently’, and it’s really true: Apple has an opportunity to step up their game and do what is right. Put their money where their marketing dollars are and make sure the people who are making their products are being treated fairly, compensated fairly, and work in safe working conditions. This is what fair trade is all about. Not exploitation.

What do you think Apple needs to do? Does any of this deter you from buying or using Apple products?

~Megy

 

Trader Joe’s: Sign the Fair Food Agreement

Coalition for Immokalee supporters stage a protest outside a Trader Joe's in La Grange, IL

Traders Joe’s is hardly the lone ranger when in comes to refusing to sign the Fair Food Agreement. Others, like Kroger, are as guilty of not signing the Agreement. In fact, Barry Estabrook detailed the plight of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) in his book Tomatoland. I wrote a review of the book for Natural Awakenings magazine and I will admit that it’s hard to think of buying or eating tomatoes without thinking of the workers and lack of rights.

So now a campaign has begun circulating asking people to sign it and send a message to the CEO of Traders Joe’s that it should sign the Fair Food Agreement and increase the amount it pays workers by ONE PENNY a pound ONE PENNY. This may not mean a lot to Traders Joe’s but it will mean something to the workers who pick the tomatoes who make as little as $50 per 12 hour day. This is yet another way we, as consumers, can make our voice heard.

Have you signed on? Will you?

~Megy

India Sees Gains from Gender Quota – Women Leaders Promote Women Leaders

Many of you know by now that I place a high premium on education, especially education for girls and women in developing countries since they, often, are the driving force of stopping the cycle of poverty. Another motivator? Seeing strong women in leadership positions.

The Harvard Gazette just posted an article on this subject based on a new research paper co-authored by Harvard Kennedy School Professor Rohini Pande. The research paper finds that the system designating female leaders for selected village councils in India has resulted in substantive gains for girls in those villages — both in terms of aspirations and educational outcomes. Dr. Pande’s research focuses on the economic analysis of the politics and consequences of different forms of redistribution, principally in developing countries.

“These results show that laws can help create role models by opening opportunities that were previously unavailable to a group, and this increased opportunity does not diminish the aspirations of those outside the group,” the authors argue in this article. “Our study shows that, in the Indian context, the positive effect of exposure to a female leader dominated any possible backlash, probably because it gave women a chance to demonstrate that they are capable leaders. And, perhaps most importantly, our study establishes that the role model effect reaches beyond the realm of aspirations into the concrete, with real educational and time-use impacts.”

But here is my question to you – I was speaking with a friend in a developing country and she said focusing on girls and women can be a disservice to the country. Her argument is that by discriminating against boys and men in terms of education, the ones who will do most of the work and bring in more of the money to their household, we’re actually harming their prospects of getting out of poverty and achieve a living wage status as a household. You know what, I never really thought of it that way. So I let the information sink in and, you know what, I disagree with my friend.

Research has shown, time after time, that educating girls and women reaps many rewards on many levels. But I’m curious – what do you think? Are you in agreement or do you think our focus is mis-guided?

~Megy

 

Apple Supplier Responsibility and Child Labor

News of child labor being used for the creation of APPLE products hit the waves hard recently, spurred by news of a mass suicide threat coming from Foxconn factory in Chin earlier this month.

Workers at the Foxconn factory in Wuhan, China, one of the factories used to produce electronics for American behemoths Apple, Hewlett-Packard and Dell, threatened mass suicide as their way of fighting the injustices they see within their factory work environment.

Fearing the backlash from consumers, the news caused Apple to publish all 156 companies on its 2011 supplier list. The company also dedicated an entire section, front and center, on its Apple.com website on Supplier Responsibility in order to assure its consumers and cult-like evangelists that it does not tolerate involuntary labor, underage labor or discrimination. 

As an Apple consumer and heavy user myself, I am at a loss. Devices we use in our daily lives are now connected to child labor? How do we reconcile this? We want/need to use our devices but knowingly purchasing these devices that are created in these conditions makes our hearts ache and stomachs turn.

We shouldn’t have to force companies to post their social responsibilities pages on their websites and then they continue to work as if nothing happened. WHAT is happening? How is this going to be resolved? Why is it even happening in the workplace? Why can’t companies COMMIT to making sure the factories they hire do not put these practices into place? You’re telling me that there is no overesight in these factories to ensure child labor isn’t used, that people are getting paid a fair wage, work in safe working conditions?

What are you doing with this news? How can we be responsible citizen and send a message to corporations that this type of abuse will not be tolerated?

~Megy

Walmart – Let Me Help You Understand Fair Trade

I doubt any of the Walmart executives will take me up on my offer but here it is: Let me help you understand what fair trade means.

A recent newsbrief in the Hartford Courant newspaper revealed that Walmart will begin selling handicrafts by women in developing countries. The products will be purchased through a well-known and respected organization called Aid to Artisans.

The article does not mention whether Walmart will be marketing the products as fair trade or not, although fair trade is clearly a focus for Aid to Artisans.

Here’s the thing about fair trade that is really disturbing to see in today’s world, especially what is happening in the United States – fair trade is NOT a brand. It’s not a marketing strategy and it’s not trend. Fair Trade IS a movement,  it’s a commitment, it’s a way of life. We, as importers/wholesalers and retailers, are in it for the long haul. We work directly with our artisans, know their stories, their families, their struggles and their successes. We work together on figuring out how to make this work to benefit everyone, ensuring the artists receive fair wages, work in safe conditions, yes, but also work with them over YEARS, not a season.

Walmart, if you want to really back up your commitment to these Haitian artisans, I applaud you. I refuse to shop in your stores because of many reasons but I will take a closer look to see how you plan to promote these ARTISANS and their products (notice my emphasis on ARTISANS, not on the PRODUCTS). I wonder what your long-term strategy is to support these artisans. What is the nearly half-million dollar grant to Aid to Artisans going to go toward?

As of right now the focus is to sell the items online (not in the stores) and I’m sure the next decision of whether or not to continue to offer these products to Walmart’s customers will depend on the online sales. I don’t see a long-term strategy here but who knows? Stranger things have happened in the retail world.

What do you think about this news? Is it a good thing that Walmart’s taking notice of handicrafts from developing countries or harmful to those artisans in the long-run? I’m eager to hear what you think.

~Megy

How Much is Enough to be FAIR TRADE

Many of us actively involved in the fair trade movement are aware of the recent news surrounding Fair Trade USA‘s decision to resign from Fair Trade International (FLO). There has been a LOT of talk, formal statements, and frustration around the news and you can find out more details about what this decision will mean for the movement as a whole here.

What concerns me right now is that there is already a TON of confusion about certification at the consumer level. Is the item certified fair trade? Is it not? If it’s not, why not (in some cases, products like our jewelry aren’t “certifiable” in the United States, for example, because there isn’t an organization that can certify it – our best option is to be a member of the Fair Trade Federation which we are and have been for more than 8 years).

According to Fair Trade International (FLO), the Fair Trade International Logo is the most widely recognized ethical label globally. Although the United States still lags plenty behind its neighbor across the pond, the United Kingdom, it’s still at 34% (the U.K. enjoys a 96% recognition rate). Additionally, and MORE IMPORTANTLY, the TRUST level when you see the logo in the U.S. is at 63% and 90% in the U.K. You can see the stats in these graphs or in this link.

 

 

So imagine my shock when I learned that Fair Trade USA, the same organization that allowed AVON to use its logo when the company was only using 2% of its raw materials on a product to use the logo, could allow a company like Hershey’s to use its fair trade logo without ANY fair trade cacao being used. That’s right. All Hershey’s needs to do is use 11% of its raw materials as fair trade and it will be granted use of the Fair Trade USA logo. That 11% could be fair trade sugar (which would be a start) but what I find more disturbing is a company could easily claim to be fair trade when it’s most basic, raw material isn’t even fair trade. This is unreal. This graphic is from Fair World Project’s blog.

Want to learn more? The Fair Trade Resource Network is hosting three webinar’s tomorrow and I strongly encourage you to stay abreast on what is going on. If you’d like to register for the webinar scheduled for tomorrow, click here.

I’m curious to hear what you think about this issue facing the fair trade movement nationally and internationally. Do you feel like you know what is happening? What are retailers supposed to say to consumers when they ask why a product in their shop is fair trade and a company like Hershey’s is fair trade? What are we, as importers and wholesalers of fair trade products from developing countries, supposed to tell our retailers WHY we are fair trade and companies like AVON are touting their fair trade certification?

~Megy

Accessories Mag Shares Pantone’s Spring 2012 Colors

Accessories magazine has a really nice pulse on the accessories industry. While a lot of magazine do a nice job giving us trends and news about the fashion and apparel industry, this magazine’s sole focus is on the accessories (which, as you know, World Shoppe knows a thing or two about with our fair trade and handmade jewelry!).

As we’re pouring over colors for our handbag line, I couldn’t resist checking out the magazine’s recent post about Pantone’s Spring 2012 Colors.

All of the colors seem so fresh, young and fun. Gone are the grays, maroons, and somber colors. The Pantone colorways greet Spring with an enthusiasm and burst of energy that we very much will need after hibernating this winter.

Shown here is Nanette Lepore’s interpretation of the color schemes (Tangerine Tango and Sweet Lilac) in a fun and flirty ensemble.

According to Accessories Magazine’s article, Leatrice Eisman, well-known in the color world as the queen of color trends,“Consumers look to spring for renewed energy, optimism and the promise of a brighter day,” she says. Eisman’s official title is executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

“They have learned how color can help them alter a mood and provide the vitality and enthusiasm that enables them to experiment with new looks and color combinations,” she adds.

Oh, I hope so, Leatrice! We need all of the help we can get right now!

So, I for one don’t like to jump ahead months and prefer to enjoy the days as they come. However, I will admit that I’m particularly excited about what is heading our way this Spring season. By then I’ll be ready to shed my layers of winter wear and let the sun beat on my skin again – and look fun and flirty with a new wardrobe and spirit to boot!

Is anyone else as excited about the Spring season’s offerings as I am or are you just concentrating on making it through this quarter first?!

~Megy