Did you know free trade and fair trade are similar but yet different in many ways? Free trade involves exchanging businesses without restrictions and with products and/or services at $4 or less per hour. Fair trade, on the other hand, focuses on the control of the balance in labor wage and market price throughout the business transactions. (Barlow, 2014) People Tree Ltd is a fashion company that promotes sustainability and fair trade. “People Tree is recognized by customers and the fashion industry as a pioneer in ethical and environmentally sustainable fashion” (People Tree Ltd., 2016).
People Tree Ltd is registered in England and Wales. Their products are sold to countries all over the world, which includes Northern Ireland, Italy, Spain, and the United States of America, just to name a few. People Tree produces hand woven, hand dyed, hand embroidered, and hand knitted garments to sell. They strongly believe that making free and fair trade products can help our environment. Their clothing is made by “organic cotton and sustainable materials, using traditional skills that support rural communities” (People Tree Ltd., 2016).
People Tree Ltd believes that to take care of their fair trade clothing, it would be best to use cool or cold wash with non-blench based washing powder. It is for the good of the environment. “All People Tree fabrics undergo laboratory testing to ensure that they comply with required quality standards” (People Tree Ltd., 2016). They also recommend consumers to minimize any color transfer and fading by grouping the garments in similar colors when washing them. Their website has a thorough guide on how to take care of their garments and keeping our environment in good shape.
In conclusion, People Tree Ltd has a great vision to help the environment by being the first to produce environmental and fair trade clothing. Their mission has become true that their fashion has spread all over the world nowadays after 25 years of hard work. They try their best to choose natural cotton from local farms and recycled materials to make their fashion. It is such an astonishing vision that they have and hopefully more to follow hereafter in the fashion industry.
