Topic: Fair Trade

Trade Secrets

Equal Exchange's fair-trade coffee isn't just virtuous. Because of the company's innovative and collaborative ways of dealing with growers, it gets better beans. That makes for a darn good cup o' joe -- and caffeinated growth for Equal Exchange. Do companies that thrive by twisting their suppliers' arms have something to learn?READ»

Some Reasons to Buy Fair Trade Jewelry

I like fair trade, and there are some reasons why I prefer to buy Fair Trade products. If something is as fair trade , which means that products will be available in May for consumer jewelry such as Juicy Jewelry is part of an ...READ»

Are Fair-Trade Goods Recession Proof? Wal-Mart, Starbucks, and Cadbury Hope So

Global economic crisis. Financial collapse. The current climate. Whatever term you want to use to describe our present state of affairs, I've heard it in the halls and meeting rooms at the Skoll World Forum on Social ...READ»

Ebay's Fair-Trade MarketPlace

A new partnership between eBay and an unusual social enterprise aims to give the world's artisans access to a bigger market -- and a fair share of the revenue.READ»

Coca Cola and Honest Tea -- The Plot Thickens!

Since Coca Cola acquired a minority interest in Honest Tea back in February of this year, the organic beverage company has utilized the benefits of the partnership to come a long way, and according to CEO Seth Goldman, managed to ...READ»

Fair-Trade Towns: Let's Spread the Movement

Out of six official fair-trade towns in the whole United States, two are one town away from me--Amherst, Massachusetts and Northampton, Massachusetts (I live in the town between them, Hadley--which, small as it is, has at least five ...READ»

Some Reasons to Buy Fair Trade Jewellery

I like fair trade, and there are some reasons why I prefer to buy Fair Trade products. If something is as fair trade , which means that products will be available in May for consumer jewelry such as Juicy Jewelry is part of an ...READ»

A More Powerful Path

Changing the way we think about change--and bringing business into the act.READ»

Buying Local -- Isn’t it really about Social and Environmental Responsibility?

Commenting on Elizabeth Spiers post "Benefits of Buying Local?" A great blog post about "Exploding the myths, presumptions, and pretensions of the bullies." Different models like buying local, Organic, ...READ»

Reinventing the Coffee Business Around Ethics and Sustainability: Dean Cycon

Completely organic and fair-trade coffee at supermarket prices...locally-directed sustainability projects in coffee-producing villages...and the integrity to turn down the wrong kind of customer, even if it means giving up millions of dollars--Dean Cycon runs a very different kind of coffee company.READ»

Hope Diamonds

In Sierra Leone, a plan for fair-trade gems.READ»

Starbucks Loans Cash to Small-Scale Coffee Farmers

Complain all you want about Starbucks taking over the world--the company is at least trying to do some good in the process. The company announced plans last year to become the largest purchaser of Fair Trade coffee in the world. ...READ»

Fair Trade: Why Settle For Monetary Success?

Why have one bottom line when you can have three successful bottom lines? Understanding the business models that achieve a triple bottom line for elevating people and profit while deminishing their impact on the plant is helping many ornagizations do good while doing well.READ»

Cadbury Creme Eggs Get A Conscience

By next Easter, your Creme Eggs may be a little less of a guilty pleasure. Cadbury just completed a deal to source fair-trade cocoa from Ghana by the end of summer 2009. The cocoa will come from a cooperative with the delightful ...READ»

The Heady Aroma of Coffee

Today's New York Times has an excellent article about Chicago-based Intelligentsia Coffee, a high-end coffee roaster with a new approach to bean counting. Not only does Intelligentsia's buyers seek out the best coffee beans from ...READ»

Social Responsibility: Charity Hijacked

Is charity social responsibility? After years helping businesses become more profitable, I've found myself waist deep in helping businesses get onboard the social responsibility bandwagon. Too often, I find when I meet with ...READ»

Drink Better Coffee, Save The World

Clean up your coffee.READ»

Fast 50 2008: Whole Foods

Long before Apple created boutique computer stores that make customers drool, Whole Foods Market was opening grocery stores that made food shopping a mouth-watering adventure. Part of Whole Foods' success, part of its style, ...READ»

• Presenting the 2008 Fast 50
• The World's Most Innovative Companies
• The Faces and Voices of Google

Social Responsibility in Guatemala

The reason I took several weeks off from my weekly Fast Company blog was that I was traveling in Guatemala If you'll allow me the hubris of sharing an outsider's perspective after spending just a few weeks there, I'd like to make ...READ»

Buy Local

The "buy local" movement has taken huge strides lately in getting into the "popular culture", and good thing too! Rising oil prices, urban sprawl, and global warming all factor in to the equation of why we need a ...READ»

A Collection of Futuristic Tech

Your Second Life avatar in 3-D; digital tags for your dinner; the watch of tomorrow.READ»

How Innovative Leadership Impacts Customer Experience - Part 1

We've talked a lot about innovative leadership. As an experience architect, I'm also interested in how innovative leadership is reflected in customer experience. Let me hear from you on this one. I'll start us off by contributing ...READ»

Letter From the Editor

Not-so-strict constructionism.READ»