Under $100

The Problem

Basket weavers are usually forced to sell their products to middlemen for a pittance, who go on to sell their goods to shops for a profit for themselves.

The Solution

Our support service eliminates that middleman, buying directly from the artisans and providing them with a fair price for their work. Another part of this is that we also provide straw to the communities, in what we call, a Straw Bank. Straw can be expensive for the communities to buy from the market themselves. So what TradeAID does is buy the straw in bulk at opportune times when the price is lower and then it sells it to the communities for a cheaper price. 

By providing orders to the basket weavers from the international market, we are able to provide fair prices which will allow them to make a livelihood from their work, which they put so much time, skill and effort into. As a Fair Trade organization, this is crucial to our aims.

We also aim to improve the skills of the craft communities, providing training to help them diversify their products, as well as providing training which enables them to improve their business and marketing skills. For instance before TradeAID arrived it was the case that many of the communities would only be able to do one kind of basket. However, now, due to the product diversification training provided by TradeAID a single community may be able to make many more than just the one style of basket. Therefore, their business should now be more diverse in terms of products and so they should be able to find more success as well.

As well as Product Diversification training, we also provide Business skills training. This can include things like record keeping, marketing/advertising, customer service, etc. The aim, once again, is that through education we can help people to learn effective business skills and so this will then enrich and nourish their businesses.

Another area we’re currently looking into are alternative dyes for the craftspeople, looking for dye which would be cheaper and more readily available. The current dye used is not without harmful side effects, and as such, we attempt to educate the basket weavers on these dangers and make them aware of precautions that can be taken to diminish these, by providing protective gear such as masks.

Overall, the Basket Weavers and Market Support Service is a sprawling project with big aims and high aspirations. Thus, it can be seen as one of TradeAID’s most vital projects in terms of achieving the aims of “making trade work for the poor” which is our slogan and surely our most fundamental belief.

Problem

Worldwide consumption and production — a driving force of the global economy — rest on the use of the natural environment and resources in a way that continues to have destructive impacts on the planet.

Economic and social progress over the last century has been accompanied by environmental degradation that is endangering the very systems on which our future development — indeed, our very survival — depends.

Each year, an estimated one-third of all food produced – equivalent to 1.3 billion tonnes worth around $1 trillion – ends up rotting in the bins of consumers and retailers, or spoiling due to poor transportation and harvesting practices.

Sustainable consumption and production is about doing more and better with less. It is also about decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation, increasing resource efficiency and promoting sustainable lifestyles.

Sustainable consumption and production can also contribute substantially to poverty alleviation and the transition towards low-carbon and green economies.

Solution

HOUSE of WARIS Botanicals was catalyzed by the radical little idea of examining what thoughtful living means in our world today. We care about how we treat our bodies and the planet and want to affect positive change within our community and beyond.

For the past few years, I have been visiting farms and tea estates, learning about sustainable sourcing, developing exciting botanical blends, and working with herbalists to make you something special.

Besides the sourcing and blending, I wanted to put careful thought and consideration into our packaging. Instead of using the same tin or box that every other tea and herbals company uses we started from scratch and designed our own tin. It took a long time to create something so simple.

First I was going to put it in a box.  But creating more garbage in the world really bothered me. So I wanted to create something that you wouldn’t want to throw away. Something you would put jelly beans in, rubber bands (do people still use rubber bands?), pencils, widgets, and knick-knacks. But we cut all of that out. It’s just the beautiful tin you see here. If you reuse your tin, you’ve helped us eliminate waste. Our teabags are made of a biodegradable, natural, non-toxic material called Soilon and the seams are sealed with ultrasonic technology, so no glue is used. We want to make sure our tea bags are as safe, and compostable, as the ingredients inside.

Problem

Worldwide consumption and production — a driving force of the global economy — rest on the use of the natural environment and resources in a way that continues to have destructive impacts on the planet.

Economic and social progress over the last century has been accompanied by environmental degradation that is endangering the very systems on which our future development — indeed, our very survival — depends.

Each year, an estimated one-third of all food produced – equivalent to 1.3 billion tonnes worth around $1 trillion – ends up rotting in the bins of consumers and retailers, or spoiling due to poor transportation and harvesting practices.

Sustainable consumption and production is about doing more and better with less. It is also about decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation, increasing resource efficiency and promoting sustainable lifestyles.

Sustainable consumption and production can also contribute substantially to poverty alleviation and the transition towards low-carbon and green economies.

Solution

HOUSE of WARIS Botanicals was catalyzed by the radical little idea of examining what thoughtful living means in our world today. We care about how we treat our bodies and the planet and want to affect positive change within our community and beyond.

For the past few years, I have been visiting farms and tea estates, learning about sustainable sourcing, developing exciting botanical blends, and working with herbalists to make you something special.

Besides the sourcing and blending, I wanted to put careful thought and consideration into our packaging. Instead of using the same tin or box that every other tea and herbals company uses we started from scratch and designed our own tin. It took a long time to create something so simple.

First I was going to put it in a box.  But creating more garbage in the world really bothered me. So I wanted to create something that you wouldn’t want to throw away. Something you would put jelly beans in, rubber bands (do people still use rubber bands?), pencils, widgets, and knick-knacks. But we cut all of that out. It’s just the beautiful tin you see here. If you reuse your tin, you’ve helped us eliminate waste. Our teabags are made of a biodegradable, natural, non-toxic material called Soilon and the seams are sealed with ultrasonic technology, so no glue is used. We want to make sure our tea bags are as safe, and compostable, as the ingredients inside.

Problem

Worldwide consumption and production — a driving force of the global economy — rest on the use of the natural environment and resources in a way that continues to have destructive impacts on the planet.

Economic and social progress over the last century has been accompanied by environmental degradation that is endangering the very systems on which our future development — indeed, our very survival — depends.

Each year, an estimated one-third of all food produced – equivalent to 1.3 billion tonnes worth around $1 trillion – ends up rotting in the bins of consumers and retailers, or spoiling due to poor transportation and harvesting practices.

Sustainable consumption and production is about doing more and better with less. It is also about decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation, increasing resource efficiency and promoting sustainable lifestyles.

Sustainable consumption and production can also contribute substantially to poverty alleviation and the transition towards low-carbon and green economies.

Solution

HOUSE of WARIS Botanicals was catalyzed by the radical little idea of examining what thoughtful living means in our world today. We care about how we treat our bodies and the planet and want to affect positive change within our community and beyond.

For the past few years, I have been visiting farms and tea estates, learning about sustainable sourcing, developing exciting botanical blends, and working with herbalists to make you something special.

Besides the sourcing and blending, I wanted to put careful thought and consideration into our packaging. Instead of using the same tin or box that every other tea and herbals company uses we started from scratch and designed our own tin. It took a long time to create something so simple.

First I was going to put it in a box.  But creating more garbage in the world really bothered me. So I wanted to create something that you wouldn’t want to throw away. Something you would put jelly beans in, rubber bands (do people still use rubber bands?), pencils, widgets, and knick-knacks. But we cut all of that out. It’s just the beautiful tin you see here. If you reuse your tin, you’ve helped us eliminate waste. Our teabags are made of a biodegradable, natural, non-toxic material called Soilon and the seams are sealed with ultrasonic technology, so no glue is used. We want to make sure our tea bags are as safe, and compostable, as the ingredients inside.

The Problem

Deforestation is a global phenomenon caused by a variety of factors.

These factors range from large-scale slash and burn practices, to unsustainable agriculture, to daily community forest destruction.

Regions that are most impacted by deforestation are highly poverty-stricken and underdeveloped areas.

With few options to support their families, often, members of impoverished communities are forced to destroy their local environment to survive, such as cutting down trees for construction, fuel, heat, and agricultural purposes.

While this solves a short-term problem, long-term consequences arise when forests are cut down and not restored.

The impact of deforestation is dramatic because it causes severe flooding, erosion, and desertification. The long-term effects of deforestation lead to even worse environmental devastation.

The Solution

There are two key elements to successful reforestation.

The first is that reforestation must present a benefit to the local population.

Due to the unsustainable relationship between the land and the people, communities suffering from deforestation are often the same as those living in extreme poverty.

It is essential to be committed to and work alongside local villages and communities to achieve a successful and longstanding reforestation effort. Eden Reforestation Projects utilizes an “Employ to Plant” methodology to benefit the members in the local communities in which we plant.

Through steady employment, impoverished villagers can begin to afford daily necessities such as food, shelter, clothing, and medicine.

The second critical element rests in funding. Without donors, business partners, and grants, there is little hope for successful and impactful reforestation.