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FAQ's
General
- What percentage of my purchase goes back to the producer?
- What makes you different from others retailers selling fair trade crafts?
- How do you find and choose your partners?
- Why focus on Fair Trade and economic empowerment?
- Why are you not Fair Trade certified?
- Where else can I find your products?
- Why focus on women?
- What is fair trade?
- How can I learn about the impact of my purchase?
- How do you ensure that your products are fair trade?
- How can I support GGP’s partners without making a purchase?
What percentage of my purchase goes back to the producer?
As a not-for-profit organization, Global Goods Partners dedicates the proceeds from all product sales toward supporting our community based organization (CBO) partners. All of our financial and human resources are directed toward creating sustainable economic ventures and strengthening the development agendas of our community based organization partners. We are committed to keeping operational costs low so that higher percentages of retail sales can be allocated to support programs for our artisan partners. Generally, the break down is as follows:
Individual Shopper Shopping with our Fundraising Program
*Because of lack of resources and extreme conditions, many of our partners in conflict regions receive 50% of the retail price of a product. In these cases, we cover overhead, warehousing and international shipping from donor support.
What makes you different from others retailers selling fair trade crafts?
We differ from other retailers in four key areas:
1) We work with small artisan producers. Producer groups with greater capacities can often find access to a variety of markets. We are committed to working with the most marginalized, rural and smaller capacity groups who are often just starting to produce a product.
2) We are a not-for-profit organization, dedicating the proceeds from all revenue to support our artisan partners. We work closely with our producers, providing capacity-building grants and technical assistance in their production processes and organizational operations.
3) Our partners all pursue community development work. Our artisan groups all hold community development as a key facet of their work. Income generation is a critical issue, but is often more successful if funds and efforts are partially invested in community building programs such as: access to education, health services, child-care and the advancement of human rights and social justice.
4) We share the stories of its producers. Our website is dedicated to providing educational resources to consumers regarding the countries and communities in which products are made, techniques of production and lives of the women who create the products you purchase.
How do you find and choose your partners?
Global Goods Partners's founders are veterans of the international development world. They have come across many of our artisan groups through previous work in the developing world and through referrals from other trusted development organizations. Prospective groups can also apply to work with us through our online form.
All of our partners are managed by local leaders and engage their communities in program activities addressing the needs of the most marginalized populations while also striving for economic sustainability. In addition to demonstrating their commitment to holistic community development, our partners must show that their products are made according to fair trade principles, represent their cultural values, are created from local materials and using local techniques and exhibit consistent, skilled craftsmanship.
Why focus on Fair Trade and economic empowerment?
We believe that economics, education, health and gender equality are inter-related. Empowerment of women and mothers leads to healthier and better educated children. Improved health produces more effective schooling and a more productive workforce. Better educational opportunities creates higher-paying jobs and a more open and just society. And financially secure families and communities can provide more and better healthcare and education to everyone, including women and girls. We maintain that in order to make real and lasting progress, communities must be empowered to identify their own needs and to create and implement solutions in response. By providing our partners with access to increased income generation, a greater global audience and flexible capacity-building assistance, we support them in these endeavors
Why are you not Fair Trade certified?
There is currently no fair trade certifying body for crafts. TransFair is a fair trade certifying body for many commodity goods like coffee, tea and chocolate. It does not, however, offer certification for crafts. Logistically, craft certification would take organizations like TransFair an enormous amount of resources given the individuality of each type of craft and the raw materials and production process required. We are instead a member of the Fair Trade Federation, a peer reviewed federation of organizations dedicated to upholding fair trade practices.
Where else can I find your products?
The best place to find our products is here, on our online fair trade store. We also sell wholesale to a group of retailers across the country. If you are interested in selling our fair trade wholesale products, click here.
Why focus on women?
We recognize that women and children often suffer disproportionately from economic, environmental, political and social hardships. When women receive the tools to learn a craft, manage their finances, or start and run a business, they gain experience, confidence, practical skills and economic independence. These skills and experiences enable women to move beyond achieving simple economic improvements to making a real positive impact on the well-being of their families and their communities.
What is fair trade?
There is no one definition for fair trade. For us, it is about ensuring equity for the producer and about being a conscientious citizen of the world in your everyday actions. Learn more on our fair trade page.
How can I learn about the impact of my purchase?
All of our products come with a special tag describing the organization that crafted the item and the social and economic challenges facing the group and its community. You can also find in-depth information about our artisan partners, the unique challenges they face, the techniques they employ in their craft and the ideas behind socially responsible shopping. Learn more about the impact of your purcahse >>>
How do you ensure that your products are fair trade?
We work with all our producer groups to determine fair living wage standards and fair trade practices for each community. Communication is always between several people within each artisan group so that checks and balances are inherently built into the process. Trusted colleagues in international development also contribute to our information gathering efforts while in the field.
How can I support GGP’s partners without making a purchase?
We appreciate your desire to help in any way. We accept tax-deductible donations small and large for artisan support programs.
