LEVERAGE YOUR PURCHASING POWER…GRACIOUSLY

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” --Margaret Mead

“If a business cannot afford to be ethical, then they cannot afford to be in business.”
--Neil Kearney, President of the International Garment and Leather Workers Federation.

Slavery is a global problem that requires a global solution. So a movement
from the "Fair Trade Fund" has created a website to help consumers
communicate with businesses. Here’s how stores and businesses can
be alerted to the problem of sweatshops and slave labor:

“We believe that the solution requires consumers and producers to work together.
As consumers, we are in essence the last link in the supply chain. By the pure law
of physics, we have the leverage to PULL that chain and create a reaction that
leads all the way down to the very first link. If we as consumers don’t pull that chain,
no one will.

“One of the most strategic battlefields of the 21st Century Abolitionist Movement
is the marketplace. Everyone has a role to play, and your consumption is a deft
weapon, that when used properly, can elicit tangible and viral freedom. We believe
one of the most effective penalties you can offer a producer who is not operating
with transparency, is to choose a more transparent competitor.

“Because we purchase our products in public, we choose to discuss a way forward
in this issue, in public. Therefore, we are initiating an open conversation on this site
that allows us to voice our demand of SlaveFREE products, and in turn hear what
companies are doing on the issue.”

“Our working definition of forced labor: Anyone who is forced to work without pay
(beyond minimal subsistence), under the threat of violence, being economically
exploited and unable to walk away.”

Click here to learn more and how you can take an active role as a consumer.