Wild Human Skincare is all about care… Skincare, self care, care for others and care for the planet we live on. That’s why we have worked really hard to ethically source all of the ingredients for our products.
The Cocoa Butter we use in our products is Fairtrade and certified organic, and while our Shea Butter isn’t officially Fairtrade, our supplier works with a women’s cooperative in Ghana, supporting women workers and ensuring that money goes back into the community there.
We love Fairtrade - because we fully support their ethos…
Many big companies take advantage of farmers who have no choice but to take what they are offered, working with the very poorest in order to boost their own profit margins. Take cocoa for instance (used in many skin care products like ours, but also used to make chocolate) - according to Fairtrade UK, cocoa farmers earn just 6% of the final value of a bar of chocolate. In fact more than 80 percent of the profits of crops grown by farmers in these countries goes to the company that sells the final product, and when they are making millions, while farmers and workers struggle to survive, it's very unfair trade.
Not only that, but due to climate change, these crops are becoming increasingly difficult to grow so without change we will soon find many common items that we love, like coffee, bananas and cocoa butter are much harder to get.
Did you know that the cocoa butter we use in our Cocoa Body Butters is the same ingredient used to make chocolate? Cocoa butter comes from cocoa beans which can only naturally grow in tropical parts of the world. It is a big part of Fairtrade as chocolate is very popular the world over. If cocoa butter becomes difficult to grow and therefore to buy, we have no choice but to stop using it and discontinue products. The same will be true for bakeries and confectionery makers and anyone relying on cocoa butter for a living. So it's really important to pay the cocoa farmers fairly and what they are worth. The same can be said for all growers everywhere, and all humans everywhere - pay people fairly, and what they are worth.
Fairtrade works with farmers, businesses and governments to ensure that the products we buy have been produced in the very best way. There are lots of things that Fairtrade does, from improving conditions and pay for the workers to supporting farmers and companies to make positive environmental changes, like investing in climate friendly farming techniques.
Fairtrade Fortnight
Fair Trade Fortnight is an annual event taking place between 27th February - 12th March that aims to raise awareness and support of Fairtrade and its certification.
This year their message is “making the small switch to Fairtrade supports producers in protecting the future of some of our most-loved food and the planet.”
Supporting Fairtrade Fortnight
So, what can you do?
- Look out for items that have the Fairtrade certification and choose those whenever possible.
- Follow Fairtrade on Social Media and join in some of their Fairtrade Fortnight events.
- Spread awareness of Fairtrade… chat to others, share Fairtrade posts and blog posts like this one, make your own posts to Social Media or maybe even arrange a Fairtrade Event of your own.
- Share small business who use certified Fairtrade ingredients
Check out the UK Fairtrade website here - https://www.fairtrade.org.uk/get-involved/current-campaigns/fairtrade-fortnight/