Knitwear from Peruvian alpaca wool, throws made out of upcycled Indian saris, skilfully woven baskets from Kenya… the stylish products sold by Solid are really diverse. But they all have one thing in common: a positive impact for the people and communities who make all these unique items.
Need a present? Fair clothing? Delicious food from around the world? You’ll find it all at BorGerHub in Borgerhout. This concept store brings together start-up entrepreneurs and sells their products to conscious consumers. But BorGerHub is much more than just a shop. What started out in 2019 as an anti-squatting project in this beautiful 1930s […]
Enabel’s Trade for Development Center commanded a study for cocoa cooperatives in Ivory Coast who want to export their cocoa.
The report (FR) details these different steps and implications and also describes the conditions for a successful transition to export.
With the climate crisis in the back of their minds, more and more consumers are trying to limit their footprint. This means they’re looking at where the products they buy come from. The rule of thumb is: the greater the distance it travels, the more polluting the transport. This is generally the case, but sometimes it is inconsistent with the complex, even paradoxical reality of our globalised economy.
In 2017, the Ivorian cocoa cooperative ECAM received coaching in financial, business and marketing management from the TDC (Enabel’s Trade for Development Centre). At the end of December we spoke to Djakaridja Bitie, one of the members of ECAM. We asked him to reflect on the development of the cooperative, and about his own professional future as a TDC coach.
An example of inclusive fair trade? Ever heard of cooperative or participative supermarket projects? These citizens’ initiatives break with the tradition of mass distribution and opt for local, organic and fair trade, quality products. At the same time, they aim to remain financially accessible and promote social integration. But do they work? What is a […]
Aba Sholi in Rwanda produces internationally recognised coffee. Thanks to the help of Valérie Vangeel, one of the coaches at Enabel’s Trade for Development Centre, the cooperative has made a lot of good progress. They’ve learnt how to optimise their costs, guarantee the excellent quality of their coffee, and help their members in the fight against climate change. The cooperative has also improved its infrastructure and been able to attract more members.
“The first time I got off the bus in Boni, the driver looked at me strangely,” recalls Trui Rachels. But the residents of this village in Burkina Faso immediately agreed to work with her. This is how Chéry Faso came about: a non-profit organisation that tells the real story of African mothers through pure shea butter. Trui is happy to share her experiences.
2020, the year that will be etched into our collective memory as the Covid-19 year. Proximity plays an important role in the TDC’s activities, in our coaching programme and the Fair Trade Week. So, 2020 therefore was a year in which a lot of flexibility had to be shown. Read the annual report and discover how we did that and what successes the TDC achieved in a difficult year.
Short chain is about much more than ‘a few kilometres between the producer and the consumer’. It is firstly about the autonomy of farmers, about producers who can decide on their pricing and business operations for themselves. Sofie Vanthournout Tweet “Voedselteams (‘food teams’) is a movement of people wanting more control over how their food […]
