Deforestation is not the result of market demand for timber alone. Many farm commodities and products traded daily on global markets are contributing to deforestation in a less obvious way. As the demand for these products increases, new arable land is required for soy, palm oil, cocoa, coffee, and other commodity crops. There is little action to resolve this issue as public authorities remain passive and private companies are lured by profit, but things are finally starting to move…
Within the framework of the Beyond Chocolate partnership, Chocolaterie Galler is joining forces with the Trade for Development Centre (Enabel), the Yeyasso cooperative in Ivory Coast, the University of Ghent and ZOTO to carry out a pilot project for the development of high-quality organic cocoa.
Underneath the pristine white surface of milk lies a dairy sector in crisis as small producers struggle to survive. European overproduction is driving farmers’ incomes below profitability and, as a result, preventing the development of a local dairy sector in Africa.
Since the 1990s, the flower industry too has been globalized. In 2013 the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI) was set up with the goal that 90% of flowers traded on the international market would come from sustainable farms by 2020. The slow flower movement are tending towards an alternative approach; they are choosing to grow flowers organically and outdoors, and then using short supply chains to deliver them to their customers.
“The COVID-19 crisis painfully exposed the vulnerabilities of our economy and of unregulated global supply chains… We need to make sure that responsible business conduct and sustainable supply chains become the norm, a strategic orientation for businesses.” says Didier Reynders in a webinar on due diligence.
Kimberley Process, Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices, as well as the Diamond and Development Initiative and its Maendeleo label used by the Belgian company My Fair Diamond, the TDC looks at various initiatives aimed at breaking the link between the diamond trade and social misery.
From fair trade coffee to fair fashion For many years the Fair Trade Towns campaign has shown that local authorities can play an important role in promoting fair and sustainable trade. In Belgium’s Flemish region no less than 198 municipalities have become Fair Trade Towns, Wallonia and Brussels have 41 ‘Communes du commerce équitable’. Since […]
The number of shoe brands claiming to be ethical and/or ecological has mushroomed in recent years. So much so that some of them are on the verge of becoming major players on this huge market. Fleeting fad or a sea change for a business that is worth tens of billions of dollars?
The coffee industry is swimming in paradox. On the one hand, the beverage is more consumed and appreciated than ever before around the world. On the other hand, the remuneration of producers is at its lowest point, so much so that more than half of them now sell the fruits of their labour at a loss…
Bearberry villages in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, lovely valleys like green oases in the midst of rugged mountains… this is the picture you are offered by ‘Les Rencontres d’Aït Aïssa’. Rencontres’ or encounters indicate the legendary hospitality of the Berbers. Aït Aïssa’ refers to the name of the first valley where the association was active. It is located in a 100 km wide area near Errachidia, in the southeast of Morocco.
