Ethical Gifts Make the Best Gifts
By Nicholas Watson
Ethical gifts are an amazing way of telling someone you care...not just about them, but about our world itself.
More and more people are choosing to give gifts that make a difference. Fairly traded gifts, where producers receive a fair wage for their work, are growing enormously in popularity as awareness of the plight of the poorest people on the planet grows.
With the exposure of exploitative working practices in countries such as Bangladesh and Mexico, there's been a boom in companies offering goods that guarantee minimum standards for producers. These companies offer their customers the assurance that their purchase isn't contributing to sweatshop exploitation or environmental degradation.
And there's no shortage of ethical gifts on the market. Fair trade has grown to encompass many new products, including jewellery, fashion accessories, homewares...even furniture! Not only are these companies enabling their customers to give something precious to a friend or relative, but they are also helping to transform producers' lives. After all, increased demand helps producers gain access to a larger market for their work.
It's a win-win situation.
What's more, as the ethical or fair giftware sector grows and competition increases, prices for customers have come down, in come cases quite considerably. No longer is fair trade synonymous with expensive or overpriced. You'll find ethical gifts at a whole range of prices to suit all budgets, and certainly plenty that are affordably priced for those times when your budget is modest.
In addition to fair trade giftware, there is a huge selection of charity gifts available. These might include presents as diverse as a pair of goats for a family in a developing country, a mosquito net or plant seeds for impoverished communities. These types of gift can have a huge impact on the lives of countless people, and provide the perfect present for those in your life who really do already have everything!
Most of the leading charities offer these schemes, and they usually let you see where your gifts have been used and what impact they have had. So crucially, you also get transparency to see how your money is used.
Someone once said that the act of giving is as important as the gift itself. And remember, the person receiving your fair trade or charity gift is invariably delighted at being given something that touches other peoples' lives in such a positive way.
Nicholas Watson is a commentator on fair trade issues and a regular contributor to international media on fair trade. He is also founder of the online fair trade store http://www.jungleberry.co.uk/
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