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Interview with Founder of Odylique: Fair Trade, Organic Skin Care and Makeup
Odylique by Essential Care is an amazing skin care, hair care, and makeup brand dedicated to providing consumers with clean, organic, handmade products with ingredients you can pronounce! I especially admire that Odylique also prioritizes ethical shopping and responsible packaging. Founder Abi Weeds graciously sent me some lipstick to review and agreed to do an… Read more
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Taste-Testing Divine Chocolate: Fairtrade Certified, B Corporation, Ethically-Made
I am so excited to share this collaboration with Divine Chocolate with you! Divine Chocolate caught my eye for a number of reasons. First, it is Fairtrade Certified, a B Corporation, and a brand dedicated to providing opportunities for growth and success to farming communities. What impressed me most (aside from the chocolate itself) was… Read more
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Interview with Founder of Soul Space USA: Fair Trade, Organic Clothing
In doing research about Fair Trade consumerism, I came across Soul Space, an international clothing brand originating in India. Not only are Soul Space’s products Fair Trade Certified; they are also 100% organic and made with environmentally-friendly dyes. Wanting to learn more about this impressive company, I decided to speak with Vik Giri, the founder… Read more
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What to do with your Slave-Produced Clothing
Recently, a friend of mine came to me with a problem. He had read my article Top Fashion Brands Avoided by Slave-Free Shoppers and felt guilty about the many H&M shirts hanging in his closet. Of course, he had already purchased those shirts, so the damage was, in a sense, done. Still, they served as a daily… Read more
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Four Delicious and Slave-Free Chocolate Brands
As you may know, the chocolate industry is one of the biggest perpetrators of slave labor. It is estimated that 2.1 million West African children work in life-threatening conditions from sunrise until after sunset each day. Often times, these children are trafficked to different parts of Africa, never to see their families again. The solution does not… Read more
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Five of Your Favorite Companies You Didn’t Know were Slave-Free
Ben & Jerry’s Need an excuse to go pick up some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream? With its commitment to using Fair Trade sugar, cocoa, vanilla, coffee, and bananas, you won’t feel guilty enjoying a Ben & Jerry’s sweet treat. Lush On the topic of treating yourself, look no further than Lush for Fair Trade lotions,… Read more
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Top Fashion Brands Avoided by Slave-Free Shoppers
Lululemon: In his book, “Little Black Stretchy Pants,” founder Chip Wilson explains his belief that child labor is not wrong, because “working young is excellent training for life.” Child labor is not “elevating the world from mediocrity to greatness,” as you claim, Mr. Wilson. H&M Sure, H&M likes to appear eco-friendly, but not only are its fast-fashion practices detrimental… Read more
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Tips for Dressing Slave-Free
1. Research What You Buy Before You Buy It Google whether or not the company is fair trade to determine if the products you are considering purchasing were manufactured in an ethical manner. An easy way to determine whether or not an apparel or footwear brand is free of slave labor is to download the Good… Read more
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Slave-Free Apparel and Footwear
The apparel and footwear industries, together worth around $2.4 trillion, is teeming with slave labor. Forced labor, including supply chain slavery, debt bondage, and child labor, likely produced at least one article of clothing you are currently wearing. To take a stand against major apparel and footwear companies that profit off of slave labor and inhumane sweatshop conditions,… Read more
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Introduction to Sex Trafficking
Sex trafficking is one of the most well-known forms of modern day slavery. According to the United Nations, it is the most common form of human trafficking. Not only is sex trafficking a human rights violation, but also a public health crisis. Sex trafficking is when a person uses force, violence, threats, or manipulation to… Read more
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Introduction to Domestic Servitude
Domestic servitude is a particularly difficult form of slavery to detect due to the fact that it occurs in private residences away from the public’s eye. Usually, victims of domestic servitude will be forced to live with and work for their enslaver. He or she is typically extremely underpaid or not paid at all in… Read more
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Introduction to Forced Marriage (Including Child Marriage)
Oftentimes, people do not understand why forced marriage is a type of modern day slavery. Arranged marriages are common in different countries and cultures, right? Although forced and arranged marriages might sound similar on the surface, they are not. A forced marriage is when an individual is forced to marry someone else in a situation… Read more
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Introduction to Supply Chain Slavery
Yes, it’s quite likely that the device you are viewing this article with was a product of supply chain slavery. Supply chain slavery refers to the process of different elements being turned into a product, such as your cell phone. Take, for example, the supply chain of cobalt: a component of rechargeable batteries found in electronics… Read more
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Introduction to Debt Bondage
Debt bondage is a cyclical form of slavery meant to exploit workers and sometimes even their decedents. When a person owes a large amount of money, he or she will work for the person owed to pay off the debt. While laboring off the debt, the “employer” will add on additional costs such as housing,… Read more
