Furore over fair trade gold
Feb 23rd, 2008 by Katie
Wow… I just received Cred Jewellery’s Spring 2008 newsletter and out of curiosity clicked on the link to US website, The Consumerist, where they were debating the recent Reuters article on Cred’s efforts - working with the Fairtrade Foundation and the Association for Responsible Mining - to find a way to certify gold as ‘Fairtrade’ by 2009.
I was stunned by the angry cynicism in some of the responses - occasionally accompanied by the accusation that it was nothing but a scam. There was a general ‘we’re all doomed so why should we care’ attitude coming through - essentially that we all wear clothes that are the product of sweatshop labour, we all eat food grown by people barely earning a living wage, and that’s just life, there’s no point trying to change it.
A few voices piped up here and there suggesting that though we can’t do everything, we can try to do something, try to change what we can change bit by bit… but mostly it was a very depressing read.
Having said that, do read it, I’d love to get your reactions - give us hope please! Check out the debate.
We’re also in the middle of organising an event with Cred Jewellery and the Brighton & Hove Fair Trade group in Brighton for World Fairtrade Day (Sat 10 May) around the whole issue of fair trade gold and diamonds… so watch this space!
Back to The National Wedding Show tomorrow - last day (it’s been a long stretch!). If you’re around, do drop by at Stand J45, it would be great to meet you - and you can get 10% of Cred Jewellery’s gorgeous wedding rings and engagement rings too!
Take care,
Katie
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Grr, I hate the attitude that if a problem is big and widespread then we shouldn’t do anything about it even if we can - Ghandi (apparently) said we should be the change we want to see! I also heard a story that someone once accused Mother Teresa’s work of being just a drop in the ocean - and she responded ‘yes, but the ocean is made up of many drops’! No excuses!