Thank you for your interest.  Our ethical Policies are basically a code of conduct which involves doing the right thing, behaving consciensciously.  We have always acted in accordance with this and are not merely following trends.

Environmental and Fair Trade factors;

Environmental ;

We use suppliers, and encourage suppliers and craftspeople, to operate in as environmentally - friendly a way as possible.  We ask that excess packaging not be used, and that the manufacturing processes do not harm the environment.  We do not accept materials whose extraction endangers wildlife or plantlife.
In our own activities we keep our environmental impact to a minimum.  Our workspace is highly insulated and designed to require no or minimal extra heating beyond that provided by solar.  When we post items to you they are usually taken to the post office by bike, on a multi-purpose journey, and sent using the Royal Mail's system.
 Packaging is selected from clean reused and/or recycled materials wherever possible.  Please do not be surprised to receive your package sporting a re-use label from Trees forLife,  Friends of The Earth,  Oxfam, or other environmental / recycling - promoting organisation.
So your order should have no environmental impact.

Fair Trade

We ensure that the craftspeople and artisans who produce the items are well looked after and shown due appreciation for their endeavors.   By purchasing under an unwavering Fair Trade policy, we hope to improve the quality of life for our craftspeople.  We believe that the cycle of goodwill thus generated benefits us all.  We believe that treating the craftspeople & artisans with due respect can result in a higher quality of finished work which will benefit the customer too.

All GCF (Global Citizen Fairtrading) - imported goods offered for sale on this site have been checked thoroughly by ourselves to justify their ethical status & description as "Fair Trade"
Goods here that we have sourced from other importers, and not been able to oversee production, have only been from trusted Fair Trade importers, members of recognised organisations such as BAFTS (British Association of Fair Trade Shops) and IFAT (International Fair Trade Association)

Our Commitment to you, our customers

We aim to keep our customers satisfied, or even delighted, with the quality of our services and goodies.  We hope to earn your recommendations to your friends and family to trade with us.  Please bear this in mind and be assured of our commitment in serving you well.
Goods are dispatched promptly (usually within 1 working day)  once cleared payment has been received.
We will deal with any problems promptly and fairly.  Should you receive goods that arrive to you in faulty condition, or feel that our goods fail to live up to our descriptions of them, you may be confident that we will resolve matters fairly and do our utmost to ensure your satisfaction. 
We offer a no-quibble 14 day refund / replace policy whereupon you can return the goods to us, unused & in the same condition as received, within 14 days of receiving them for refund or exchange.
Full terms and conditions are on our terms of trading page

Send mail to info@thefairtradeshop.co.uk with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: May 19, 2012