Fair Trade Conditions

“We believe that fair trade should be the norm. Our vision is for a world in which all workers are paid fairly and offered safe and supportive work environments out of a genuine sense of love and mutual respect.”

One of the conditions of fair trade is that a portion of each sale be put aside to support community development projects. Your purchases have funded micro loans to womens’ groups, community health projects, disaster relief, children’s scholarships and small scale sustainable energy projects in remote areas like the one pictured below. This project brought power to a small village in Laos and was funded through the fair trade community development bonus paid by our supplier Article 22.

Employing the Marginalised

“Our vision is a world in which businesses care for the most vulnerable, where issues like illness, disability and backgrounds of exploitation are no longer barriers to finding meaningful employment.”

Story Time! Below are 3 glimpses into the lives of the people who make your fashion explaining how they were able to overcome adversity and bring the vision above into reality.

Empowering Women

“We believe that women should be empowered and not exploited in the work place. Our vision is for development to be for all people, and for women to be respected in all of their roles.”

Even though more than 89% of the people making the products listed on Thread Harvest are women, simply creating employment is not enough. Around the world countless women are employed in demeaning and unsafe work. That is why the women employed in our supplier projects gain more than just employment. Depending on the project, they may gain access to a range of services including: skills training to move into management roles, literacy training, financial skills training, counselling and professional mentoring, access to affordable finance and free or subsidised healthcare.

Meet Uzma

“THE COMMUNITY USED TO SEE ME AND KNOW THAT I WAS WEAK- I COULDN’T EAT PROPERLY, AND MY CLOTHES WERE OLD. NOW, PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE ARE DOING WELL, AND WE THANK THOSE WHO BUY OUR PRODUCTS AND GOD FOR THIS.”

“Here, women can’t do anything so women don’t go out. We have to wear a burka, we have to keep quiet, we have to keep our distance from men. But at the design studio, we can come and go in freedom, and the men there are like brothers. Lots of women ask and say they want to work like I do. Now, because someone has helped me, I want to help other women in need. Before starting this work, my life was difficult. My mother- and father-in-law died, and my husband had no profession. There was tension and fighting in our house. I prayed, “How can these problems be taken from us?” A relative came and said there was a group in town hiring. My husband began working for them; then I was able to join and start working with the women there. The women are all happy and we all feel we can do the work.”

Upcycling

“We believe a fashion manufacturing industry that is entirely sustainable and closed loop is possible. We work towards a system that reduces more waste than it creates.”

Eco-Friendly

“We work towards a global fashion manufacturing system that nourishes that planet. We value the beauty and utility of our natural environment and seek it’s long term sustainability for future generations”

Where possible we source the most eco-friendly products. Below are just two examples of items and their environmental impact relative to similar standard items.

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• Recycled polyester and organic cotton tees from our supplier Threads 4 Thought require 90% less water to dye, and the factory in which they are made recycles 82% of its waste water.
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• Our partner Oliberté, uses eco-tanned leather from a factory that employs a unique recycling system to ensure that the heavy metal (chromium) from the tanning process is reclaimed and not released into the environment as it would in standard tanning processes.

Organic Cotton

“Our vision is a long term sustainable system of cotton production that is able to efficiently meet global demand while releasing no pollutants into the environment.”

Where possible, we seek out organic cotton products over those made from conventionally grown cotton. The farming process for organic cotton involves the use of all-natural and non-synthetic inputs. This means the cotton is farmed without the use of hazardous chemical herbicides & pesticides, genetically modified seeds, and synthetic fertilisers which helps to minimise air, soil and water pollution.

By purchasing the dress below over an identical dress made from conventional cotton, the following environmental benefits are realised:

Cause Supporting

“We believe that social enterprise is complementary to traditional philanthropy and not a replacement for it. We seek to support and fund innovative social and environmental projects to see a vibrant and effective social sector globally.”

When you purchase a product from the Thread Harvest store it’s not just how it’s made that makes the world a better place, many items also support specific causes, donating significant segments of their profit to fund innovative social and environmental projects. Below are three of our favourite items with their associated causes and outcomes.