EcoChic Fairtrade

Dear Beauty Lover,

You’re hear this because you love fashion, have a keen sense of style, and appreciate beautiful things. Yet you also have a conscience.
 

Nowadays, we’re undated with information about where our food comes from, but can we say the same for our clothes & the jewellery we wear? The conditions under which they were made are not on the label. You may think the recent explosion of cheap clothes are a bonus, but for those who make the items for many of the big high street brands the personal cost is high: gruelling conditions, long hours away from families and all for less than Xp an hour.

At EcoChic, you can take a virtual tour around the online boutique, safe in the knowledge that everything you look at in our unique collection of fashion, gifts and accessories is ethically sourced and produced, stylish ethical fashion. Many of our products are handmade by skilled artisans in the developing world, providing them with the livelihood they so desperately need. Many of these use eco-friendly methods of production and organic, recycled materials.

By only choosing solely to do business with those in the developing world who we know to use Fair Trade practices, EcoChic is a pioneer of ethical trade in the UK and features our growing collection of UK handmade products.

We have trawled the globe for, what we consider to be, a stunning collection of women and men’s fashion, beautiful jewellery you won’t want to take off, to die for beauty products and a gorgeous collection of gifts & homewares. And, of course, you won’t find any of it on the high street. Let’s change the world for the better, together.

Happy, guilt free shopping and warm wishes,

Deborah Miarkowska
Founder
EcoChic

Today is an important day it’s blog action day for Poverty….. together we can raise an awareness of what we can all do to allievate poverty.

EcoChic believes that it is improved international trade agreements that are the key to this and the promotion of Fair Trade that seeks to promote sustainable long-term trading partnerships to support people and give them a chance to step out of the poverty trap themselves. We have heard the stories and witnessed the difference and are inspired. In fact we spend hours working to build quality relationships with our partners to support them as we know it makes such a huge difference to the families and communities we support.

 So go on do something amazing today..buy a fairtrade gift and blog away…

www.blogactionday.org

“http://blogactionday.org/js/d58170912284ebbc5229c4fd065053cc67e105ff”></script>

In the late 1980s the Bhopal Gas disaster in India caused untold disaster for thousands and the effects are still felt to this day.

We are delighted to feature our silver metallic make up bag that has been handmade by skilled craftsmen of Bhopal.

We would also like to draw your attention to a very special cause www.bhopal.org/donations.

So go on do something wonderful today, support this worthy cause and buy this really gorgeous little bag.

http://www.ecochicfairtrade.co.uk/department/purses_make_up_bags/

 It’s gorgeous, it’s delicious & we offer you a free bar with every order… 

In the coming months we will be featuring businesses that EcoChic are delighted to recommend.

Being a Sussex based business we thought we would introduce you to the Sussex Produce Company www.thesussexproducecompany.co.uk

A delightful traditional fruit and vegetable shop run by Nick Hempleman in Steyning, West Sussex.

“Our aim is to source our products locally wherever possible and to bring our customers high quality fruit and vegeatbles at affordable prices” Nick is also well known for his support of Fairtrade products, having previously worked for the Coop for a number of years.

The Sussex Produce Company can be found at 50 High Street, Steyning, West Sussex, BN44 3RD.

Remember the Sussex Food & Drink Awards 2008/09. Vote Now! www.sussexfoodawards.com

In the coming months EcoChic will be featuring a series of articles on trade & environmental  issues, by our features writer Alex Bradbury. We’d love your comments. 

Free V’s Fair Trade
Profit V’s Progress
Alex Bradbury

Whilst contemplating these two questions it dawned on me that in fact they are one and the same. Therefore after some explanation I hope you will agree with me and decide which group you belong to… the profiteers or the progressionists?

On face value the principles of the Free Trade market seem fairly innocuous; The ‘laws’ of supply and demand determine the price paid for to the producer for their product. Organisations are free to trade with whoever they choose in seeking to pay the cheapest possible price for the products.

This encourages healthy competition you may think; more competition leads to lower prices which means more money in the consumer’s pockets due to bigger savings. You would be correct, this is how it works.

However… competition it may be but healthy it is not, or at least not for everyone. It’s only when you begin to follow the supply chain back to the producer can you see the devastating effect this kind of trading has on marginal, small holder producers.

The “healthy” competition encouraged by the Free Trade market means that small producers become squeezed by their larger competitors who can afford to sell their product at a cheaper price. In the developing world, this results in the small producers selling their product for often much less than production costs. This not only perpetuates poverty but as you can probably tell, makes it increasingly more difficult for producers to feed their families, school their children and increase their standard of living. This glaringly obviously unsustainable way of trading is one of the key factors which is preventing the developing world from serious economic advancement and why such swathes of populations still live in such abject poverty.

This is a result of the ‘free’ trading profiteer market whereby millions of small scale producers throughout the world are neither free to trade or to make a profit due to this acclaimed “healthy” competition. This, far from being free, makes sure these small producers remain locked in their poverty shackles.

This brings me nicely on to Fair Trade and how Fair Trade makes such a significant difference to those marginalised by the Free Trade market.

Read the rest of this entry »

Offset part of the carbon emissions created from your delivery by contributing towards a tree being planted for £2 with Trees4Good.

Purchase your donation here: http://www.ecochicfairtrade.co.uk/product/trees_4_good/

One Jatropha plant “eats” carbon dioxide and gives out oxygen; this in turn offsets carbon emissions and helps the environment. EcoChic will keep everyone informed about our trees and the good that is being done from our association with the programme via our blog.Climate change and poverty are major problems affecting the world today and are two of the most serious challenges the human race faces. To protect the health and economic well-being of current and future generations we must reduce our emissions of heat-trapping gases - primarily carbon dioxide (CO2) - by using the technology, know how and practical solutions that are already at our disposal.

One of the best solutions to counteract the production of CO2 is to plant trees. As you are no doubt aware, trees are nature’s solution to balancing the CO2 content in the atmosphere. Basically trees take in CO2 and give out oxygen and people take in oxygen and breathe out CO2. For millennia that balanced nicely - until the industrial revolution came along a couple of centuries ago and now things are no longer working quite so well. It’s time for change. It’s time to plant.

Trees4Good plant trees! But, more than that, they plant them in parts of the world where they provide both environmental and economic benefits. Their trees will help absorb CO2 while also helping to alleviate poverty in some of the poorest countries on earth. In addition these trees provide a clean burning inedible oil that can be used for bio fuels - an alternative to CO2 producing fossil fuels helping to provide a sustainable income that prevents further logging of the rainforest.

EcoChic takes our impact on the environment very seriously and as a result, we are working towards becoming carbon neutral. By taking small little green steps and giving our customers the chance to put money towards the purchase of trees we are striving towards becoming Carbon Neutral……which is something we feel very strongly about.

We are also working closely with Carbon Clear Solutions (who introduced us to the Trees4Good programme) to identify other areas of our operations where we can reduce the company’s environmental impact.

Find out more by visiting www.trees4good.com or www.carbonclearsolutions

Purchase your donation here: http://www.ecochicfairtrade.co.uk/product/trees_4_good/

Great to see that Be Eco Chic is streets ahead at New York Fashion Week.

It’s not unusual for folks to flock to the American Museum of Natural History here in New York for planetarium stargazing or dinosaur spotting, but it is only once in a blue moon that eco fashionistas and scientists might congregate under the museum’s model of a big blue whale in the Millstein Hall of Oceans. Such was the case last Thursday night for the NY Fashion Week opener, Be Eco Chic. Hosted by model Angela Lindvall of Discovery Planet’s Alter Eco, the night’s lineup pushed the edge of eco chic style with the smart presentation of sustainable fabrics on the runway, and lifestyle products and designs in the event’s Aveeno ‘Project Greenhouse’ VIP lounge. ‘Being’ eco chic is obviously a path of personal choices, but it is impressive that fashion week is finally becoming a bit more about how rather than who when it comes to the process behind the label.

As a small brand we are EcoChic congratulate Be Eco Chic for their inspiration.

We thought we would bring your attention to the latest WDM campaign:

Dear Supporter,

You can stop a Bangladesh coal mine from ruining thousands of lives
You will be shocked to hear the UK government is actively supporting a mine in Bangladesh that will force thousands of poor people to leave their land. More than 40,000 people will lose their homes and the water supply of 100,000 could be contaminated if the mine goes ahead.

Thanks to E-news readers, we’ve already made progress. In our biggest online action to date, you emailed Barclays, which resulted in the bank selling its shares in Global Coal Management (GCM), the British company planning the mine.

Now we want to do even more. We’ve discovered that the UK government has been actively supporting the mine by lobbying on behalf of GCM - this has to stop. Please take part in our online action to Gareth Thomas MP to tell him to do the right thing, and to stop supporting this disastrous project.

Today we’re also asking you to help by making a donation to ensure we can continue to run this vital campaign. Your support will help pay for a campaign website, campaign materials to spread the word and the work of our in-house lobbyists.

Take action now and tell the UK government to withdraw their support
Support the campaign with a donation
Zakir Kibria, an activist in Bangladesh, has personally asked for our help to stop the mine from going ahead. And we cannot let him down. With your help we can continue to coordinate and build resistance against the mine.

To find out more about this campaign, see a video and read more in-depth information on our website www.wdm.org.uk

With your help we can stop this disaster from happening.

All the best,

Murray Benham, Head of Campaigns WDM

Bags of Change-Your Collection

Our latest partnership is with Bags of Change who design and produce some gorgeous Eco shoppers that have the added bonus of giving you discount in many ethical shops throughout the UK. Take a look at our bag range: http://www.ecochicfairtrade.co.uk/department/women/.

We thought you would like to know a little more info about the Bags of Change product range:

Does your organisation adhere to following principles?

• Fair Trade Yes
• Ethical Trading Yes
• Recycling Yes
• Use of Organic materials Yes

Please give details as we would like to know how your products make a difference to lives of the producers:

Hemp-cotton bags: The factory we use for sewing specialises in sustainable and organic manufacturing. The workers are all over 19 years old and receive full training, proper safety equipment and an above average wage. They also get paid sick leave and maternity leave. The factory will receive a full independent audit this year.

The rubber bags are made from fairly traded wild Amazon rubber helping to create sustainable alternatives for the economic development of the Amazon. Workers are paid four times more than the regular market price for the wild rubber used and the rubber tappers’ association is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.
Your organisation’s membership:

Does your organisation hold Fair Trade certification, for example, BAFTs, IFAT, SA8000?

No

Please specify:

Does you organisation hold organic certification? For example, SKAL, Soil Association?No - but the organic cotton used is Control Union certified - the equivalent to SKAL (might even be the replacement name for SKAL?)Please specify:

Do you have any plans to grow further in this area or achieve accreditation?

We will always look to source products that adhere to the principles of this accreditation or to encourage our producers to work towards the suitable accreditation or to the principles of that accreditation - as with the factory in China which will receive its independent audit this year.

Use of materials within your organisation:

What materials does your organisation use to produce your collections?

Organic cotton hemp mix, with coconut shell buttons
Wild rubber from the Amazon, sustainably sourced

How are your materials sourced?

We are always looking for products that are natural and least harmful to the environment and the people farming the raw materials and we are constantly looking for companies that adhere to Fairtrade principles.

Does your organisation use environmentally friendly materials for example: recycled materials, organic or manmade biodegrable?

Yes

Does your organisation use packaging that is made from recycled or sustainable materials that are recyclable?

We only use recycled cardboard boxes to distribute our bags to retailers and all the paper products used by the company are made from sustainable or recylced material except for the single bag order envelopes which we are in the process or trying to source.

For how long have you worked with eco-friendly principles in mind?

Since the start of the business in April 2007

Has your organisation taken steps to look at its carbon footprint and/or become carbon neutral?

Not yet, but we are conscious of this in all the decisions we make and it is certainly something we intend to put in place this year.

Production processes

Does your company use manufacturers that follow the guidelines set out by the International Labour Organisation and respect the basic human rights of workers?

Yes - see notes above

Is every worker involved in creating, producing and marketing your label guaranteed a Fair salary?

Yes
Do you know where your raw materials are sourced from?
Please give details:

The organic cotton is from Turkey and Control Union certified
The environmentally friendly hemp is grown on small family farms in China.
The buttons are made from coconut shell also sourced in China.
The rubber is sustainably sourced from the Amazon, Brazil

How the raw materials are prepared?
Please give details:

All the processing of the bag is low impact and the fabric, dyes and prints are fully biodegradable.

How your products are manufactured? Please give details:
Has your organisation taken steps to source and produce locally?
Please give details:

This is something we are always looking into. Our intital aim was to have the bags produced in the UK but this was not viable. Apparently there are now new ‘cut and sew’ businesses springing up in this country and I am looking into whether one of these can produce a new bag range for Bags of Change.