Shop ‘Til You Help

One of the ways Ruffle stays true to its mission is to partner with businesses and non-profits that are fighting the good fight.  One such business, Anti-Body fair trade health and beauty products, agreed to partner with Ruffle on a little treat for Ruffle readers.  Learn what we learned when we met its founders at a documentary screening.
About the Fair Trade Movement

Audience participation time: reach around and take a look at the tag on the shirt you’re wearing.  Where was your garment made?  Mine was made in India.  Now paint a mental picture of the factory where it was made.  How many people are working there?  How old are they?  What’s the temperature like in their work environment?  How long are their workdays, and how many breaks do they get?  How much are those workers getting paid?  Is it a fair wage for the work they’re doing and the conditions they’re doing it in?

Fair trade is a global movement that promotes decent wages and working environments for workers in developing nations.  With the hope of eliminating poverty (and even slavery), increasing confidence, and raising awareness of the plight of those less fortunate, the movement encourages businesses to reject profits gained from cheap, exploitative labor and gives consumers power to make a difference when they purchase.  For consumers, fair trade is not about sacrificing quality or familiar products, it’s about making conscious choices to buy those products from companies that promote fairness for laborers, respect child labor laws, and support local empowerment.  While we can’t always buy fair trade products, we can start giving momentum to the movement by preferring and giving business to retailers who offer a choice.  It’s not as tough as you think; even some huge corporations are moving in the right direction (Target now offers fair trade-certified chocolate and coffee), but it’s been small companies leading the charge from the beginning – companies like Anti-Body.

About Anti-Body

Anti-Body was born out of the search for a meaningful life.  After her fiance was killed in an accident, Tamara Moser quit her job in entertainment and joined forces with her sister, Shelby, to found a company that would give other people the hope she felt slipping from her own life.  Their mission was to create fair-wage jobs in developing countries while making all-natural beauty products at home.  Tamara’s will to succeed caught the attention of Steven Moser, who quit his job as a rocket scientist to formulate Anti-Body’s products…and eventually marry Tamara.  Now Anti-Body has a beautiful line of products with all kinds of benefits: they’re paraben-free, not tested on animals, packaged in recyclable containers, and made with fairly-traded ingredients.  In fact, the company is working on staring a second fair trade co-op in Liberia, Africa, in addition to its original in Togo.

And Now, the Free Stuff

In order to help spread the word about fair trade (and Ruffle), click on the “Get free Ruffle goodies!” link.  We’ll send you a surprise!

If you’re ready to do more, check out  www.anti-body.com or www.tenthousandvillages.com the next time you want to treat yourself or have a gift to give.  And remember, nobody’s perfect, but a lot of occasional efforts can combine to make a huge change.

Photo: anti-body.com