SFAC Founder Stacey Horowitz Talks With giftbizunwrapped.com

Stacey Horowitz spent some time with the editors of giftbizunwrapped.com (a site dedicated to promoting the gift business through audio interviews with business owners and other resources) to talk about the purpose and evolution of Shopping for a Change. A podcast was recorded of the conversation between Sue Monhait of GBU and Stacey. It is Episode 19, and we invite you to listen to the conversation.

As Sue states in her audio introduction: 

Stacey is the founder of Shopping for a Change. This online marketplace consists of fair trade products made by artisans from economically disadvantaged areas across the globe. The local artisans set their own price points, time, where they work and how they’re paid. When you purchase from Shopping for a Change, half the net proceeds go to fund improvement projects abroad in the artisan communities … while the other half is directed by the shopper to a U.S. based non-profit of your choice during the online checkout process. Currently they are working with 60 artisan groups from 30 countries on 3 continents.

Among the fair trade summer gift items we’re promoting, please take a look at all our lovely, eco friendly and very functional kitchenware items. There are many great deals there too, and these make perfect gifts for any occasion.

Enjoy your shopping with us and be sure to like us on Facebook and recommend us to your friends. Shopping for a Change is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Eco Friendly Fashion—Improving Your Environmental Footprint

It may surprise you to learn that the fashion industry is one of the largest global consumers of Earth’s resources: energy and water. If you’ve ever seen a fashion textile factory operating in the distance you can immediately see its consuming maw of water and power. On the other hand, the fashion industry is also an enormous contributor to environmental pollution and degradation, producing waste, byproducts and harming pollutants to water and air. In 2006, a study by Levi Strauss' researchers determined that the manufacturing of one pair of jeans is equivalent to driving 78 miles, running a hose for 106 minutes (imagine that in California’s current drought conditions) and providing electrical energy to a computer for 556 hours. Think about this fact then: 500 million pairs of jeans are sold in the U.S. alone every year.

Fair trade eco friendly fashion is one of the best ways to offset the polluting, resource wasting impact of mainstream fashion items. At SFAC, we offer a range of eco friendly (eco green) fashions from baby and child items to wearable accessories. Shop here with us and know you’re being a part of the solution, not the problem.

Here’s a useful link to a quick quiz to see how small or big your environmental footprint is: footprint.

Enjoy your shopping with us and be sure to like us on Facebook and recommend us to your friends. Shopping for a Change is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Our SFAC Vendors as Members of the Fair Trade Federation

One of the fair trade vendors we’re proud to carry in our online store bracelet collections is Arzu Studio Hope. “Arzu” means “hope” in the Afghan language of Dari. Arzu Studio Hope works with Afghanistan women weavers and their families towards a better quality life economically. As well, Arzu helps their artisans with healthcare and as part of their registration to work for Arzu the women weavers have to agree to send all their children under the age of fifteen to school full time. The women must also attend literacy classes.

Arzu is also among our vendors which are members of the Fair Trade Federation. The Fair Trade Federation is a community of members committed to 360° fair trade.  360° means to the FTF that work with small farmers and artisans in partnerships built on trust.  It means good wages, safe working conditions, environmental responsibility, and more.  It means our partners are empowered to build strong businesses for their families today – and for generations to come.

Our bracelet and necklace fair trade eco friendly collections are the highest quality you’ll find for summer (or any season shopping). If you need a socially conscious, affordable gift, you can’t do better than our selections.

Enjoy your shopping and be sure to like us on Facebook and recommend us to your friends. Shopping for a Change is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Wall Street Journal Says Fair Trade Fashion is Now a Trend

The WSJ ran a story on July 7, 2015, discussing the phenomenon of fair trade fashion products evolving into a growing trend. The article starts out: Two years after a garment-factory collapse in Bangladesh killed more than 1,100 people and put a harsh spotlight on fashion-industry working conditions, Fair Trade apparel is gaining ground. The article goes on to note that the volume of apparel and home goods has grown rapidly since 2012, and that certification nonprofits (that certify fair trade products) are being utilized at a fast pace by little known and well known brands.

In addition, fair trade enjoys a much better reputation among consumers as the marketing term “fair trade” has come to mean living wages, much better working conditions for the workers (and their rights) and vastly better environmental protections in the process of manufacturing fair trade home décor items, jewelry, fashion apparel and more.  Where in the past, the term “fair trade” may have conjured up images of your local health food store, it now has a chic and socially responsible vibe to it.

Take advantage of our vast fair trade, eco friendly offerings both new and on sale.

Shop our vast selection in purses, totes and even weekender bags, click here.

Coming soon, fantastic new gift sets, corporate gifts and customizable collections.

Enjoy your shopping and be sure to like us on Facebook and recommend us to your friends. Shopping for a Change is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.