Trade As One

Trade as One has partnered with Advent Conspiracy for the last three years. We love what they do in calling us all to make Christmas simpler, more meaningful and an opportunity to remember the poor. As a movement it has spread incredibly fast from starting with just three churches to now thousands of churches and tens of thousands of individuals across the world. They recently did an interview with our founder, Nathan George. Take a look at the page here or read it below!

Q: What do you see as Trade as One’s role in redeeming Christmas?

A: When we do give gifts at Christmas, I want them in some powerful way to point to the sort of world that Jesus came to introduce us to - a world where the poor and marginalized are included. A world here the poor receive the dignity that the image of God entitles them to. To me that means the provision of dignified jobs, not just the recipients of our pity and charity. The way Trade as One tries to do that is by sourcing products that can be given as unique gifts that have stories of lives transformed through dignified work.

Q: When you say that the products have such stories, what do you mean exactly?

A:  I mean that messenger bag made by a woman rescued from sex trafficking in Cambodia, given aftercare and trained to make a product that we see value in. I mean a piece of jewelry that is made by someone taken from the brothels in Bangkok. It’s a rug made by a woman living alone in a slum in Nairobi, shunned by her family and community because she contracted HIV from her now dead husband who passed it on to her. It is a bar of chocolate made from the cocoa harvested by people in Ghana who own shares in the chocolate company and who re-invest the dividends in drilling wells in their community. If you drive demand for products like this, you have a model for eliminating grinding poverty through the use of our spending rather than just our giving, and as a business guy that excites me.

Q: Now I know that Trade as One’s focus is on partnering with churches in America, why chose to focus on that rather than just go to the general public?

A: Well we do sell to anyone through our website of course, but I believe that the church is God’s plan for the redemption of this very fractured world. Is there a plan B? Never say never, but what I do know is that if the church in North America rose to this challenge of engaging their spending power in the fight against extreme poverty it would have an unprecedented influence. Estimates vary, but we are told that over 100m people attend church and who consider their faith very important to them in America. Together they spend an estimated $2.5 Trillion. Imagine how many dignified jobs among the poorest of the poor that could be created if a fraction of that spending was on products that we need and they can supply? So theologically I am passionately persuaded that the church needs to take a lead in this area that is loosely termed Fair Trade, but I am also pragmatically convinced of the enormous opportunity we have as believers to proclaim good news to the poor and freedom to the captive.

Q: When most people think of Fair Trade they think either of coffee or of souvenir type products that people don’t really need, or clothes made in co-operatives. Do we really need more of that?

A: You’re right. In some ways the fair trade movement has earned itself a bad reputation in that way. We work really hard at Trade as One to source products that people buy and use every day, and of a quality that would put them on a par with things you would find in good stores on main street -coffee yes, but also chocolate, T Shirts, hats, kids stuff, practical bags, olive oil, shampoo, rugs, Christmas cards, journals.

Q: If there was a word you would like to leave the AC subscribers with, what would it be?

A: Let’s use Christmas as an opportunity to move the dial closer to a more biblical way to look at using the resources we have been entrusted with - let’s live more simply, give more generously, and buy more ethically.

Fair Trade Month is over, but have no fear! Thanks to Fair Trade USA you can find Fair Trade Certified products wherever you go. All you have to do is log onto your Facebook, turn on your iPhone or Android and open up this incredibly useful tool. You can search for any item that comes to mind and then the app will tell you the closest retailers that sell it! Already know where all the fair trade gems are in your area? You can add these products to the app too! Whether you’re searching for products or adding them, you’re making an incredible difference in your local and global community.

October 2011 marks the 8th annual Fair Trade Month in the US, and we want each and every one of you to be a part of it. So every week we’re going to suggest ways that challenge you to be part of the Fair Trade Movement for a better world!

9) DON’T FORGET: It’s so easy to let things in our lives slip into routine, where all thought and passion is lost. We hope you never forget the incredible difference you’re making in the lives of individuals affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, women who have escaped from the grips of human trafficking, and families struggling with extreme poverty. Each purchase is so much more than money spent- they’re provisions of sustenance and hope to people who need it desperately. Each purchase lets them know that they matter to us. To read the stories of our individual producers click here, and remember.

October 2011 marks the 8th annual Fair Trade Month in the US, and we want each and every one of you to be a part of it. So every week we’re going to suggest ways that challenge you to be part of the Fair Trade Movement for a better world!

8) LEARN: Knowing where and who your products come from is incredibly important in the world of fair trade. You know the spa gift bag we talked about earlier? These are some of the women from Alaffia that produce the lotion! Each product has a voice behind it; that’s why numerous people have committed to making resourceful websites that tell these stories. Below we’ve listed several websites that you can use to make sure your purchases are coming from companies that care about the livelihood of the people that make their products. The Fair Trade USA website is another wonderful resource to update you on things happening within movement.

- Fair Trade Resource Network
- Fair Trade USA
- Better World Shopper
- Products of Slavery
- Free 2 Work

October 2011 marks the 8th annual Fair Trade Month in the US, and we want each and every one of you to be a part of it. So every week we’re going to suggest ways that challenge you to be part of the Fair Trade Movement for a better world!

7) SHARE: Everyone has gifts that they can bring to the table, there’s absolutely no doubt about it. Whether you’re an amazing artist, an incredible organizer, or even a phenomenal harmonica player you can use your passions to make fair trade known. These are the greatest tools to help the movement, so go out and paint a picture portraying the hope fair trade provides for people living in poverty, write a song about it, or cook a delicious fair trade meal. Either way you’ll be sharing your knowledge of the movement, and doing what you love best!