Environment & Fair Trade

Environmental Responsibility

ALL THINGS ASIAN actively encourages better environmental practices and the application of responsible methods of production.

For example, our handmade paper products are created from the bark of the fast growing mulberry tree. The paper can be made without cutting the tree down as some of the bark can be peeled from the trunk and small branches, for paper production, while the entire tree is left standing to replenish itself the following year.

The teak used in our tables, chairs, picture frames and boxes has been recycled and reclaimed. Some pieces are over 60 years old and served as wooden roof tiles or beams on rural houses, barns and Buddhist Temples. Every piece of teak used to create the items we bring to you has been rescued and given a new purpose thereby allowing the government supervised teak forests to grow and replenish.

Environmental concerns are a key consideration of ALL THINGS ASIAN in the selection of all products which are handmade from natural, non-endangered resources, using production techniques that minimize the impact on the environment.

Together we can make a difference so that future generations will enjoy the planet as we do.

Fair Trade

"Before you've finished your breakfast this morning, you'll have relied on half the world" - Martin Luther King

The economic principle of Comparative Advantage states that if each nation made just those things that it could produce cheaper relative to a foreign country and then trade with other nations to get that which those nations could produce relatively cheaper, wealth would expand and everyone would benefit.

The theory of free trade holds Comparative Advantage as a key tenet. However, the practice of "free trade" departs from theory on a number of points. For example, under recent "free trade" agreements, barriers to trade has been expanded thereby inhibiting business activity. Embargos, blockades and sanctions, create extreme hardships for those who rely upon trade for their subsistence. Beyond political reasons there are famines, natural disasters, the legacy of wars, economic isolation, a lack of infrastructure and a myriad of other factors that inhibit the flow of goods from one community of the world to another.

Fair Trade is an alternative approach to conventional international trade, which seeks to improve living standards by promoting social, economic and environmental development. It is a trading partnership between producers, traders and consumers that aims at sustainable development for economically disadvantaged producers by improving market access.

The key elements of Fair Trade include:

Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers
Transparency and accountability
Develop independence for producers so they can increase their capacity to pursue new markets
Payment of a fair price agreed upon through dialogue
Gender equality
Decent working conditions and conformance to the UN Convention on the Rights of Children
Sustainable and responsible environmental practices

We at ALL THINGS ASIAN have personally visited all our factories and suppliers to ensure we are following the spirit and guidelines of the Fair Trade movement. Fair Trade means that small producers receive fair prices for their products, helping them build a better future for themselves, their families and their communities.

We negotiate directly with all our producers to establish a fair, agreed upon price.

In addition, we are very concerned about the treatment of women and children. If trade is to reduce poverty it must benefit women, who are the vast majority of the poor, and engage them to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.

We visit our factories and the homes of our workers regularly to ensure that working conditions are reasonable, women are treated fairly and children are not abused.

One way to support the Fair Trade movement is to buy Fair Trade products that come from organizations you trust such as ALL THINGS ASIAN.

For millions of people, Fair Trade means the difference between a hand-to-mouth existence, and being able to plan for the future. In the past decade, the Fair Trade movement has exploded. More retailers than ever are stocking Fair Trade goods and more poor communities are feeling the benefits. Fair Trade is a growing international movement, which ensures that producers in poor countries get a chance to show their products to the world. And ALL THINGS ASIAN actively seeks out those producers to bring those products to you.

We are a proud supporter of the Fair Trade philosophy. It is good for producers, it is good for the environment, it is good for consumers, it is good for the domestic economy...

...everyone wins with FAIR TRADE.

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