At The Fair Trader we take a holistic approach to who we work with.

As well as ensuring our products support and respect the people that make them, The Fair Trader prioritises products that tread gently on the earth.

As a business we also minimise our environmental impact behind the scenes. That means we avoid using plastics wherever possible, we recycle packing materials and wrapping (sometimes).

The Fair Trader stocks products that embody the following environmental values:

• Natural Materials
• Recycled Materials
• Organic Materials
• Handmade
• Australian made
• Vegan
• Slow Fashion
• Plastic Free

Natural & Recycled Materials

We are proud to say that almost every product at The Fair Trader is made from natural or recycled materials.

Our homewares are made from sustainable materials including jute, rattan, seagrass and stainless steel.

Our clothing and socks are made from organic cotton, linen or alpaca wool.

Our bags and wallets are made from leather, hemp, jute, wool or upcycled op shop fabrics.

Our scarves and winter accessories are made from alpaca, wool, silk, cashmere or modal.

Our toys and baby gifts are made from organic cotton, homespun wool or sustainably-souced wood.

Our jewellery is made of recycled brass, recycled aluminium, upcycled saris, tagua nuts, sisal or stirling silver.

And our stationery is made from 100% recycled post-consumer waste paper or handmade cotton paper.

Sustainable Farming and Production

Jute, fondly known as 'the golden fibre', comes from the Corchorus olitorius and Corchorus capsularis plants. Jute grows predominantly in Bangladesh, and is the same fibre that is used to make burlap and hession. Jute fibres are very sturdy and strong, and they are built to last, which makes jute the perfect material for products that are used regularly like baskets, bags and placemats.

Rattan

Rattan is a climbing palm that is native to the rainforests of Indonesia. The vine-like branches climb up the tropical trees, and can grow hundreds of metres long.

Some of the baskets we sell at The Fair Trader are made using Kubu Rattan. Kubu is a technique where the harvested rattan is submerged in a pond of mud and leaves for about four weeks before weaving the baskets. It is a natural treatment against woodworm and other bugs, without the use of chemicals.

Organic Cotton

Most of the cotton used to make clothing in the fashion industry is conventional cotton, which relies heavily on the use of harmful chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. The overuse of such chemicals and their impact on the environment and people's health is concerning. Pesticide and fertiliser use on cotton has been linked to ground and surface water contamination, and drinking water pollution. 

Organic cotton is far more sustainable than conventional cotton because it uses natural growing systems to cultivate crops, rather than relying on the use of chemicals. While conventional cotton farmers are reacting to ecological problems that have been caused by Western farming practices, organic farmers work with the land to prevent environmental issues before they occur.

Hemp 

Hemp grows naturally in the Himalayas and has been used for thousands of years to make clothing, rope and building materials. Hemp fibre is derived from the outer layers of the long woody stems of the Sativa plant.

Alpaca Wool

The majority of our winter warmers, which includes jumpers, scarves, gloves and beanies, are made from super sustainable alpaca wool in South America.

Alpacas have a low impact on their environment and are one of the most eco-friendly animals on Earth. They are fuel-efficient, low-methane-producing animals thanks to their three-part stomach. They naturally prefer to use a common area for their ‘business’ and their faeces are pH neutral. 

Leather

The leather bags and wallets we stock are handmade ethically in India, Nepal and Indonesia, often by very small, family owned businesses.

Where possible, we try to source pure vegetable tanned leather, a natural alternative to chromium-tanned leather that often leaches toxins into the water supply.

Our suppliers aim to use all of the animal hide. Remnant leather offcuts are reworked into design features such as woven features, tassels, logos and straps. Our suppliers make their samples with offcuts from production, even when this means the samples are made in different coloured leathers. They are also working towards using natural dyes instead of chemical dyes.

Vegan

The Fair Trader is committed to the fight against single-use plastics by providing plastic-free and reusable alternatives to everyday products.

Australian Made

We love supporting local Australian makers and Indigenous-owned businesses. The Fair Trader are stockists of many Austalian-made producers

Post Packaging, Bags & Gift Wrapping

As well as providing our customers with sustainable and plastic free products, we are continually striving as a business and individuals to minimise our use of single use plastics behind the scenes.

Our padded post satchels are made from FSC certified paper and recycled paper pulp. If your purchase doesn't fit in one of our satchels, we do our best to reuse boxes and packing materials that have been sent to us.

Our hampers are wrapped with biodegradable cellophane and natural twine or string.

We stock cards from Earth Greetings whose cards are made in Australia using 100% recycled post consumer waste paper and vegetable based inks. Earth Greetings is a carbon neutral business. Their designs feature artwork by local Australian and Australian Indigenous artists.