What does 'Fair Trade' mean?

Fair trade is better than aid. It builds a sustainable future on producers' own abilities, with the main objective being to improve the producers' quality of life. Several aspects of fair trade include:

· Producers receive a fair price for their goods and advances on orders.

· Fair Trade organisations work with producers to provide quality products.

· Purchase and marketing of producers' goods are conducted according to high ethical standards; continuity of orders is important.

· Sources, production and workplaces do not exploit people or the environment.

· Products have meaning above their tangible attributes; consumers are informed about the people who make the products they purchase, increasing their loyalty and understanding that their purchasing power makes a difference.

· Cultural exchanges between people in the South (developing countries) and people in the North (western countries) are encouraged.

Silverchilli.com is working to implement these ethics in a number of ways:

· We pay for the production of your ordered item in advance.

· We have spent time capacity building the communities to cost the items accurately so that they make a good living from the products you buy.

· We design the products in conjunction with the Silversmiths.

· We are working to delivery times stated by the communities we work with, not us.

· We return 95% of our profits back to the community.