Putting The Fair Trade In Sports
By Mathew Gerson
Filed Under Conscious Commerce |
Scott James redefines the term good sport. Scott and his wife Susan have pioneered the North American market in Fair Trade equipment for soccer, football, basketball, volleyball, and rugby with their company, Fair Trade Sports. Pakistan is the number one producer of sports balls in the world, and Fair Trade Sports is one of the few sport retailers that can truly guarantee their products are made by adults who are paid a fair wage in a decent working environment. If you play sports or know someone who does, this is the brand for you.
What inspired you to get into the Fair Trade sporting good biz?
I was in the Fair Trade movement already, doing coffee, tea, and cocoa, when I saw a note from FLO (Fairtrade Labeling Organization International, Transfair USA’s parent company) that sports balls became an official certified Fair Trade product during the run-up to the last World Cup in 2006. I’m a lifelong soccer player, so it caught my eye and the idea stayed in the back of my mind for a few years…I felt it was time for someone to lead the efforts here in North America and I wanted to bring a new, fun, sexy product to the Fair Trade movement to show consumers we have more than just agricultural products. Our line consists of eco-balls for soccer, football, basketball, volleyball, rugby, and more.
Where are your balls made and by whom?
Our sports balls are hand-stitched by our adult workers at our certified Fair Trade facilities in Sialkot, Pakistan. It’s a town of about three million people, most of whom are involved in the sports ball creation industry. Amazingly, more than 75% of all sports balls in the world come out of this one town….
Our adult stitchers are folks like Sameena, who lives in a village called Chak Gillan, near Sialkot. Sameena is one of 11 siblings, seven sisters and four brothers. Two of the older ones also stitch balls. Stitching wages are low - only the Fair Trade buyers from our international group pay enough to enable the three to provide their family with all the basic necessities.
Are you setting the bar as far as your industry standards go?
Yes, the certified Fair Trade specifications from FLO that our international group follows are industry-leading. We’re using our company, Fair Trade Sports, to demonstrate to other sports ball manufacturers like Nike, Adidas, Puma, and Baden that it is financially feasible to transform your production sources to be certified Fair Trade, as well as eco-certified.
Are there things that most of us don’t know about sporting goods that it might be good for us to know, especially people trying to be conscious in their consumer choices?
Yes, the hidden – but crucial – part of any sports ball is the internal air bladder that gives the ball it’s bounce…Those air bladders are made of latex, a type of rubber. That rubber comes from our sustainably run forests in Sri Lanka and India. Our rubber tree forests there recently passed their FSC audit. FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council, which is the logo you now see on your catalogs from Gaiam and Fair Indigo when you are buying our sports balls through them. It’s the logo you’ll see more and more on sustainable forestry products, including paper, lumber, and furniture.
Conscious consumers will notice a misleading stamp on many sports balls that says “Not made with child or slave labor” (see attached), portraying a false assurance to consumers. This is an unfortunate result of the 1997 Atlanta Agreement…
The assurance of paying fair wages – 50% higher in this case – that our model brings, is crucial for fighting against child labor. Unless we pay the parents a fair wage, extreme poverty will force them to put their children to work. It might not be in the sports ball stitching facility, but they will be put to work. With sustainable wages paid to the parents, the children and then freed to be children, not slave labor.
Inspired to get involved in the Fair trade movement?
- Join EducatingForJustice.org with the Stop Nike Sweatshops Campaign. Or watch their film Behind The Swoosh.
- Buy Fair Trade. Also, tell the management at your favorite stores that you want to prefer Fair Trade items.
- Celebrate the Olympics by participating in the Play Fair 2008 campaign to eliminate the exploitation and abuse of workers in the global sporting goods industry.
- Order a stack of “Ambassador of Respect” cards from Fair Trade Sports for free and hand them out to coaches, physical education teachers, church leaders and community center employees so they can make the “fair” decision when purchasing sports equipment.
Posted on April 29, 2008 |
Comments
3 Responses to “Putting The Fair Trade In Sports”
Leave a Reply
-
Buy eCo Products
Hey eCoTimes readers,
We have a great primer for anyone new to the Fair Trade movement, or any serious Fair Trade activist who is interested in seeing how the Fair Trade movement is expanding beyond food and beverage products.
It’s a paper done by Dr. Martin Kunz, who runs our sister company FairDeal Trading in the UK. Dr. Kunz has been involved with the Fair Trade movement since 1992 (the FTS team affectionately refers to him as “The Professor”). He was the Co-Founder and first Secretary General of the organization we now call FLO.
Enjoy!
- Scott James
Fair Trade Sports
Eco-certified Fair Trade soccer balls and more!
[...] A new online magazine has launched recently out of Colorado called eCo Times. [...]
[...] basketball, volleyball, and rugby with their company, Fair Trade Sports. Pakistan is the number onhttp://www.econsciousmarket.com/eco-times/?p=52Rokeby Advert: Adidas Bounce as adidas Bounce.:P
:P. ENJOY THE VID! HOPE YOU LIKE IT …1 min 19 [...]