fair trade

Peace in a Bottle

The Israeli-Palestinian peace process is getting an economic jolt from none other than Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps.

Dr. Bronner’s is an American company that has a 50-year tradition of environmentally and socially minded products. One of the company’s founding principles is that "constructive capitalism is where you share the profit with the workers and the Earth from which you made it!"

Following in that tradition, Dr. Bronner’s in 2005 started buying a majority of their olives from the Holy Land. Olive oil is the main ingredient in their magic soaps, and Dr. Bronner’s wanted to use its demand for olives to promote economic cooperation between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Their magic soaps are now made with a mixture of Palestinian and Israeli olive oil. Dr. Bronner’s gets 90 percent of their supply from the Palestinian Canaan Fair Trade cooperative. The other 10 percent comes from the Israeli women’s fair trade association Sindyanna and the Strauss family farm in Israel.

"Blending olive oil from Palestine and Israel is a symbolic but significant contribution to promoting the concept of coexistence and cooperation in this area," Dr. Gero Leson, director of special operations for Dr. Bronner's, says in the video above.

Dr. Bronner’s initiative might be relatively small in the greater scheme of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but the project's ingenuity and potential has caught the attention of media such as American Public Media’s Marketplace.

While lots of companies have some sort of charitable arm or a mission that incorporates social responsibility, few are working in such a sensitive area and in such a deliberate manner to promote peace. Perhaps it's fitting for a company that has adopted this principle: "We are all brothers and sisters and we should take care of each other and spaceship earth!"

From the Archives

Much Ado About NAFTA

Previously filed under: North America, Trade
As November approaches both Democratic hopefuls are pointing fingers at NAFTA-- but what is really to blame for American job losses?

From the Archives

The Fair Trade Future

Previously filed under: North America, Trade
The authors of the book 'Fair Trade: The Challenges of Transforming Globalization' suggest some key changes for the Fair Trade market.

From the Archives

Organic Cosmetics Break Out

Previously filed under: Asia, Culture and Society
Organic beauty products are increasing in popularity, but are they really as natural as they claim?

From the Archives

International Trade

Previously filed under: Definitions
Trade is one of the more complicated facets of the international economy.

From the Archives

Why "Fair Trade" Could Backfire for the United States

Previously filed under: North America, Trade
Many economists believe that the current approach to manufacturing employment in the United States will do little if anything to solve the current crisis.

From the Archives

Fair Trade and Chocolate in Ghana

Countries: Ghana
Previously filed under: Africa, Agriculture
The Day Chocolate Company, a part of the fair-trade practicing Divine Chocolate Company, hopes to expand in the United States.

From the Archives

Fair Trade Sweatshops?

Previously filed under: North America, Trade
Supporting 'clean clothes' campaigns to end the exploitative labour practices that pervade the textile industry is not as simple as just picking the 'right' brand to buy.

From the Archives

United States Must Redefine "Fair Trade"

Previously filed under: North America, Trade
The Director of Policy Innovations delves into U.S. trade policies calling for a new, fairer policy that would aim to provide more people the opportunity to enjoy world trade.

From the Archives

Fairtrade Cotton, Will it Make a Difference?

Previously filed under: Asia, Trade
Fair trade prices help to alleviate the crushing poverty that affects agricultural workers in the developing world.

From the Archives

Café Culture in Buenos Aires - Not a Starbucks in Sight!

Countries: Argentina
Previously filed under: South America, Global Economy
In this era of globalization, Buenos Aires has managed to preserve its traditional, slow-paced coffee culture.

From the Archives

Fair Trade for All - How Trade Can Promote Development

Previously filed under: Book and Film Reviews
In a new book Joseph E. Stiglitz and Andrew Charlton offer a controversial argument about how globalization can actually help Third World countries develop and prosper.

From the Archives

Wall-to-Wall Walmart?

Previously filed under: Opinions and Editorials
Walmart is often examined as the quintessential example of globalization, but is this a fair analysis?

From the Archives

A Floundering WTO - Part I

Previously filed under: Trade
Without WTO agreement on reforms before April 30th, the hopes of fair trade for developing nations could be postponed indefinitely.

From the Archives

A Floundering WTO - Part II

Previously filed under: Trade
Disunity in the ranks of the developing nations allows developed countries to maintain their trade barriers.

Breaking News

Zimbabwe: Inflation Rockets to 231-Million Percent

All Africa - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 08:24
Zimbabwe's annual inflation raced to a record 231-million percent in July, up from 11,2-million percent the previous month, deepening a severe economic crisis, official figures showed on Thursday.

Africa: Going Bananas to Fight Poverty And Hunger

All Africa - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 07:30
Arguably one of the world's most popular fruits, bananas are poorly marketed as a value-added commercial crop in Africa. But that is about to change as a plan is being conceptualised to transform the way Africa produces and sells bananas.

Global Markets Dive in Relentless Selloff

International Herald Tribune - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 06:48
Global investors looked to leaders meeting in Washington for coordinated action to end the financial turmoil on Friday as stocks plummeted again around the world.

The Stunning Collapse of Iceland

Business Week - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 06:30
Home to just 304,000 people, tiny Iceland is emerging as the biggest casualty of the global financial crisis.

Don't Cut Aid to Africa, AU Head Pleads to World

The Epoch Times - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 11:44
The chairman of the African Union urged the world not to slow aid to the world's poorest continent. Experts say that while Africa is relatively insulated from the global credit crisis, there could well be a negative effect on investment, remittances and aid flows from abroad.

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