Category: Ethical trading & business

Australians love denim. 670,000 tonnes of the stuff in 2014 alone and with a $56 billion price tag. That’s a lot of cheddar, and a whole lot of denim. For the last two years we have pressured ten of the country’s largest garment manufacturers to sign the Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Accord — but two companies refuse to sign. Read more »

Twice a year, Oxfam takes a look at publically available information on the agricultural sourcing policies of the top ten food and beverage companies. We assess how well the top 10 companies are performing on our seven themes: transparency, women, workers, farmers, land, water, and climate. Want to see how your favorite brands did? Read more »

You’re powerful as a consumer – what you choose to buy shapes the world we live in and can literally change someone’s life for the better. Fair Trade doesn’t just guarantee a farmer gets paid properly for their hard work. It can also build schools, medical centres and water pumps – helping people lift themselves out of poverty. Read more »

Coffee is crucial to the overall economy of East Timor. It is currently the most important source of foreign exchange and serves as the primary source of income for some 44,000 families. But for the members of Cooperativa Cafe Timor (CCT), the production of Fairtrade coffee is changing their lives one brew at a time. Read more »

Sock monkeys — the newest addition to Oxfam Shop’s fair trade product range — had their Australian debut at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala in March, sharing centre stage with popular comedian Sammy J and his purple sidekick Randy. The duo brought the sock monkeys back from South Africa, where they met some of […] Read more »

Kuapa Kookoo is the only farmer owned cocoa cooperative in Ghana and the supplier of cocoa for the Oxfam So Fair So Good range available at Oxfam Shop. Thanks to Fair trade sales, they’re creating life-changing social projects for the whole community. Read more »

Kalpona is a former child worker who started work in garment factories when she was twelve. She is now the Executive Director of the Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity (BCWS), one of Bangladesh’s most prominent labour rights organisations. Find out how you can help improve the rights of workers in Bangladesh. Read more »

Sumi Abedin was working in the Tarzeen garment factory in Bangladesh when she was forced to make a chilling decision. Trapped in the burning factory and faced with the horrific choice between burning alive or jumping to certain death, she chose to jump. Read more »

We have just heard that after months of promises, Woolworths have finally listened to you and signed the Bangladesh Fire and Safety Accord. This means that soon, safety teams will be inspecting all of Woolworths’ (Big W) supplier factories in Bangladesh for building and fire safety. The news that Woolworths has finally signed the Bangladesh […] Read more »

Thanks to the great work of Oxfam supporters like you, another major Australian clothing retailer has now signed the Bangladesh Fire and Safety Accord. This week, Specialty Fashion Group (incorporating the Katies, Millers, City Chic, Autograph and Crossroads brands) became the fifth Australian company to sign the accord, joining Kmart, Target, Cotton On and Forever […] Read more »