Although many jewellers and craftspeople using gold want to make sure their creations come out of a safe and fair industry, there has been no real certification of fair trading standards in the gold mining industries. Until now that is.

The new Fairtrade and Fairmining standards set up by the Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) and Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) seek to create a guarantee for fair working conditions which will offer new opportunities and safe working conditions for artisanal workers and miners.

Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation, said: “The launch of Fairtrade and Fairmined standards for gold provides a lifeline for communities who find themselves at the mercy of unbalanced markets, when agriculture and other livelihoods are not viable. Many face exploitation from middle men who pay below market prices and cheat them on weight and purity of the gold content. Mining community members lack basic sanitation, clean and safe drinking water, poor housing, little or no access to education and health care and are financially unstable. The Fairtrade and Fairmined standards are an important development tool, and will complement other development interventions.”

For you wanting to know the details, the main factors to get certification are:

- A Fairtrade minimum price for the gold set at 95% of the market value set by the London Bullion Market

- Gold that is extracted through environmentally friendly processes will be paid for at a higher price

- The promotion of workers’ groups to financially and socially empower the workforce

- Certified miners must ensure safe working conditions

But what does this new form of certification mean for everyday consumers? Well, we’ve hear that some of the top ethical jewellers in the UK are queueing up to meet the new standards. One of our favourite jewellery design houses, CRED, was actually a founding member of the Alliance for Responsible Mining and they’ve worked closely with all the organisations involved to ensure the new certification will be truly effective.

Greenmystyle.com spoke to the Director of CRED jewellery, Christian Cheesman, about his views on how these new standards will affect the gold industry. He said: “I think the standard will help as the Fairtrade mark is very well known and respected. It will bring a measure of clarity to the ‘ethical’ jewellery world which will help people understand the choices they can make/are making.” And are the standards far-reaching enough? “The standards are a good start” said Cheesman, although admitting that ”we [CRED] would have preferred a tighter line on the use of mercury but understand the pragmatics. For CRED we will be exclusively using Fairtrade green (no chemicals)”

As the Director of CRED points out, an important aspect of the new standards is the focus on making the gold mining industry more environmentally friendly, but this is one aspect that will be an ongoing challenge. Manuel Reinoso Rivas, President of the Association of Artisanal Miner Producers of Central and Southern Peru, and ARM Board member said: “We need to learn how to use clean, non-polluting technologies that will not only preserve our environment but also help us recover increased quantities of metals. ”

The new standards were piloted by the Alliance for Responsible Mining with nine legally established mining organisations in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The certification will now be open to applications from all small-scale and artisanal gold mining organizations in Latin America. More producer organisations from Latin America are expected to join the system in 2011 along with projects in Africa and Asia.

For more information on the new standards, take a look at the Fairtrade Foundation website.

Image: CRED Jewellery’s gold wedding rings and ‘Forget Me Not’ white gold ring.

Greenmystyle.com gets the inside view of fair trade fashion pioneers People Tree with its new juicy magazine.

Have you ever wondered what’s happening in the world of  People Tree? Well now you don’t need to with the launch of fair trade fashion brand”s own online magazine.

Bringing its catalogues to life, there’s a fashion focused gallery and People Tree’s video picks for you to experience. And what better opportunity to connect with the producers from the many cooperatives the label works with?

Its opening feature launches with an exclusive interview of Emma Watson talking of  her gap year where she was creative consultant for the newly launched People Tree Youth collection, which provides many special insights by the talented Harry Potter star.

Then there are the behind the scenes interviews with many of the hot designers including Bora Aksu, and new to Spring/Summer 2010, Jessica Ogden and Karen Nichol.The CEO of Whistles Jane Shepherdson picks her top five favourite picks to the latest collection too.

It’s also the new platform for founder Safia Minney’s fabulous blog: if you’ve not looked at it before, it’s well worth a read to get the lowdown into her busy style-cum-campaigning lifestyle.

We dig it!

People Tree Magazine

Image: Olivier Asselin

Join young people from the city of London celebrated the last day of this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight at a heart-warming event taking place at the Barbican with the support of Divine chocolate. Eleni Sardi writes.

Divine has had one busy calendar over the past two weeks as the company has been taking part in the Big Swap campaign of Fairtrade Fortnight and offering all kinds of events and activities to educate people and celebrate the joy of fair trade.

The 100% Fairtrade chocolate company partly owned by cocoa farmers in Ghana has been working hard to make sure the people of Kuapa Kokoo earn a fair wage but also to let them get their own stories out to the world. That’s why Comfort Kumeah and Kojo Aduhene-Tano, two of the Kuapa farmers, have been touring the UK to share the success story of their cooperative which now owns 45% of Divine Chocolate and how this ownership has benefitted them and their community.

This year they have already visited Leicester, Stamford in Lincolnshire and the Channel Islands to talk to schoolchildren, shoppers and retailers, church groups and local businesses, government officials and Fairtrade Steering Groups. Their last stop was a special concert at the Barbican in partnership with the Guildhall School of Music. Inspired by the themes of fair trade, the performances explored the fusion of African drumming, Mc-ing and Song writing and was introduced by Comfort and Kojo.

Of course, as with all Divine events (as we’ve been lucky to discover before), there was plenty of gorgeous chocolate to go around for everyone as well as the chance to talk to the people behind the Divine vision who are always more than willing to share their love not just for their chocolate but most of all for what they do.

NEW PRODUCT ALERT: Delightfully tasty Butterscotch Milk Chocolate, launched during Fairtrade Fortnight. Made with Divine’s smooth and creamy milk chocolate, it’s studded with crunchy toffee pieces and it comes as a snack-size bar for some Fairtrade sweetness on the go. Available all year round at Wholefoods Market and Fresh & Wild stores in London, Oxfam stores nationwide and also online at the Divine Chocolate Shop and Ethical Superstore.

The Bishopston Trading Company is a Workers’ Co-operative set up in Bristol in 1985 to create employment in the village of K.V.Kuppam in Tamil Nadu, South India. It is certified as a Fair Trade Organisation by the World Fair Trade Organisation – and was one of the first to do so for fashion.

The people of K.V.Kuppam provide the weaving and tailoring skills and the raw materials. The price it pays per garment allows the tailors to have above average wages, secure employment, allowance for health care, provident fund, gratuity, sickness benefit and a crèche.

Bishopston has Indian inspired clothes for woman, men and children and also toys and accessories. A small craft group batik and block printed cloth, printed shopping bags, jewellery, greeting cards and bead work.

The greetings cards are made by the crafts workers using printing, embroidery and appliqué work. There are 200 handloom weavers who produce the 15 tonnes of beautiful organic cotton that is used each year to make the clothes.

Twice a year Bishopston develops a new colour scheme and brings in fresh designs for the changing seasons, but much of the fashion is timeless.

You can buy Bishopston Trading Company’s many clothes, homewares and accessories across independent fair trade shops.

Bishopston Trading Company

Determined not to leave one shelf and cupboard in your house out of the big swap, we’ve found a pair of gloves that will make your cleaning chores just a bit fairer -but maybe not for you.

Traidcraft has created this pair made with natural rubber latex which is supplied under fair conditions. It’s designed for a smooth fit and increased resistance to household detergents. Perfect for any household task you can imagine, the gloves feature a smooth cotton flock lining to protect your skin.

The product is a result of Traidcraft’s collaboration with BM Polyco, the UK’s leading supplier in gloves and hand protection. The rubber is provided by Sri Lankan rubber manufacturers who pay the farmers a fair wage for the latex and aid them with the necessary technical support and assistance.

The pair is available on the Big Green Smile website where we’ve found a huge and exciting offer to reward all big swappers out there.  Exclusively on BigGreenSmile.com, you can enjoy Ecover 5L sizes value for less with the 3 for 2 offer. You can buy any of the selected products on offer and get the cheapest absolutely free. Choose from Ecover’s detergents and washing up liquids or hand soap and shower gel and give your home some natural TLC. The offer ends 26th of March.

Buy the gloves online here.

Yozuna is a company based in the UK that is dedicated to developing fair trade with small independent businesses, farmers and co-operatives in Africa. Yozuna means ‘it’s sweet’ in the language of the Ngoni people of Zambia and the company has chosen it because it represents the wonderful products it produces out of the baobab fruit and its mission to help families in rural Africa.

The baobab jam has a thick texture and it’s great on buttered toast but chefs such as David and Holly Jones of Manna from Devon Cookery School recommend smothering it over roasted vegetables. Other suggestions include enjoying it with cheese or even yoghurt while its unique tangy taste makes it perfect for all kinds of cooking and baking experimentations.

Yozuna produces the Fairtrade approved African baobab jam with the help of PhytoTrade Africa whose role is to help Southern Africa’s natural products industry to achieve rapid growth while ensuring its long term sustainability and social equity. The company is also trying to earn the CarbonZero certification striving to reduce carbon footprint and benefit the communities that produce the baobab fruit.

You can buy the jam at Selfridges or on the company’s website.

Kirsteen Stuart, based in Orkney, studied Kirsteen Stewart studied Fashion design at the University of Northumbria, Newcastle where she specialised in printed textile design.  After graduation she returned to her Orkney  roots to build her own design business and continue working as a freelance designer.

She designs and produces creative illustrative prints, for feminine but contemporary clothing and accessories.  She blends classic pattern cutting, dressmaking and craftsmanship with original graphic screen prints.  Accessories and clothing are designed to be mixed together to each individuals taste.

Her inspiration comes from the people in Orkney, rich contrast colours, history and illustrators from the past and present.

She collaborates with fair trade companies and charities including the Asha Foundation in Bangladesh, and the Bombululu workshop in Kenya. Each item is designed by Kirsteen Stewart and crafted by someone skilled in traditional techniques local to their part of the world.

Stuart is inspired by the things she sees at home and on her travels around the world: “I have always been fascinated by detail and many of my designs evolve from everyday objects or things I have seen in far flung places- the pattern on a tea -cup, a piece of crochet work, tribal patterns, jewellery and textiles.”

This youthful label includes cotton bead necklaces, a pretty stag brooch, and a summer essential, flip flops. There is also a selection of cute bags embossed with tea pots, muffins and birds.

Kirsteen Stuart

The launch of Pants to Poverty’s new range of underwear was held at London’s Pigalle Club on 27 February. Pie fights, cheeky ball games and ‘boy-lesque’ (that’s right, even the Pants to Poverty boys got dancing) made for an afternoon tea that was anything but traditional.

Julian, an investment banker at the event, said: “Wow! That was the most exciting Fairtrade event I’ve ever heard of! It wasn’t just the gorgeous acts and pants models that got me excited, but the abundance of Fairtrade products that were swapped at this trendy London hotspot.”

The new retro range of Fairtrade underwear comes just in the middle of Fairtrade Fortnight. It’s a colourful and slightly kitsch range which is both sexy and individual. Breton stripes and red hems give a perky beside-the-seaside look to the pants, with ‘Hello, sailor’ jokes being hinted at with models wearing sailor caps in the advertising campaign.

From skimpy knickers to funky pants with a tomboy edge, the girls are certainly set. As for us guys, the mix of traditional fitted boxers and more playful styles certainly ticks all our boxes. (Pants to Poverty seem to realise we guys think men’s briefs are just a bit, well, pants.)  The pants range from around the £10-£15 mark, so they’re pretty affordable for beautifully made, Fairtrade cotton underwear.

Pants to Poverty has become a highly successful Fairtrade company which now sells across 20 countries. They support over 5000 farmers in India and their factories use renewable energy sources to cut down on emissions. One pound from each pair of these pants sold will go straight to the company’s child labour free programme and each pair comes in recycled packaging made from factory waste.

If you fancy a cheeky pair of pants for the bedroom, head to the Pants to Poverty online shop.

Cape Gem was set up in 2006 by Carol Lovell after she spotted an opportunity to import handmade accessories from Cape Town. There is a large range of bejewelled and beaded necklaces, bracelets and earrings, each with their own touch of individuality.

Carol Lovell, said: “I was very aware that the quality of the jewellery design in Cape Town was largely unknown in the UK (so much of the high street offering is from China and other parts of Asia) and I wanted to support local designers I met whose work I felt would appeal to the UK market. The designers are all well regarded in Cape Town; some employ others to make up the jewellery, others use family.”

They also sell Mielie products. Mielie is Afrikaans for the word corn and corn is the staple diet of most South Africans, and probably the first item on most of the weaver’s shopping list. Once a week a team manager travels to the textile mills to collect the fabric strips to make the Mielie products. The weavers work from home, thereby saving on transport and childcare costs.  As well as providing an ethical wage for the workers, Mielie profits help ensure the welfare of their staff. 50% of Mielie costs on average – across all the bag types – are taken up in weavers’ wages.

Any profit is ploughed back to projects they support in the township. The food garden in Khayelitsha is an initiative to create an organic food garden for the weavers and their families.

Cape Gem

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Fairtrade Focus: Visionary Soap Company

Ganesha is a fair trade partnership formed by Jo Lawbuary and Purnendu Roy who started in the markets of London in the early 1990s. The first shop opened in Gabriel’s Wharf on the South bank in 1995, which expanded into a second unit in 2004. The pair’s next move was opening a new shop in Covent Garden in 2008.

Ganesha’s aim is to add as much value to handmade products through quality in design, making it possible to maximise the earning potential of the (often rural) producers at source, allowing local community investment. The couple buy mainly from World Fair Trade Organisation members in India and Bangladesh.

Ganesha produces a whole range of products from soaps, accessories, home furnishings and even some funky Bollywood cd’s to help you into the groove.

With brightly coloured designs, these interior products bring summer vibes into your home. When the sun does return to our shores, there is a beautiful vintage silk bunting for your garden made from vintage silk sarees from people at the Calcutta Rescue.

Ganesha has a passion for products made from vintage, reused and recycled materials. We love the disposable plates created using sal and siali leaves from the forests of Orissa, east India. These are used for curries at weddings and festivals across India but are the perfect green addition to any party here in the UK.

The Bollywood look is epitomised with Ganesha’s mats made from swampy rush and ornately decorated tiger rugs, plastic accessories and collages of Bollywood stars from magazines.

Ganesha