MARY WISNIEWSKI
Assistant Living Editor
Business and humanitarianism are usually far from synonyms in a capitalistic economy, but some companies prove that the two can coincide.
(PRODUCT) RED is one such brand dispelling the rumors that all businesses are morally bankrupt. It sells products and donates part of the profits to the Global Fund as a means to invest in African AIDS programs.
Bono and Bobby Shriver launched (PRODUCT) RED in the United Kingdom in March 2006, and it traveled to the U.S. by mid-October. The contribution donated to AIDS ranges based on the company, but some donate as much as 50 percent. U.S. participants include Gap, Motorola, Converse, Giorgio Armani, Apple and MTV Networks.
According to their Web site, (RED) is “a commercial initiative designed to create awareness and a sustainable flow of money from the private sector into the Global Fund to invest in the fight against AIDS in Africa.”
President of International Justice Mission Tiffany Gee said she thinks (RED) is cool.
“It’s just a start,” Gee said. “It will make a difference in other parts of the world. I think it’s a new way of consumer buying.”
(RED) is not the only brand trying to fight the world’s problems.
Even ice cream is fighting social injustice. Ben & Jerry’s supports sustainable food production as well as family farms and rural communities. This is evidenced in many things that they do such as partnering up with the Dave Mathews Band and SaveOurEnvironment.Org in a campaign to “lick global warming.”
The company also believes in small-scale farming. For example, it uses the milk and cream from 500 farmers of the St. Albans, Vermont Cooperative Creamery. They also purchase their coffee extract and some of their vanilla extract and cocoa powder from cooperatives of small and mid-sized farms around the world.
It’s not so surprising that Ben & Jerry’s chooses to do this. Fair trade and sustainability have become pressing issues in today’s world.
Fair Trade certification is defined as empowering “farmers and farm workers to lift themselves out of poverty by investing in their farms and communities, protecting the environment and developing the business skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace,” according to fairtradeusa.org.
Senior Ali McCourt’s family owns a fair trade coffee company, Surf City Coffee, in Santa Cruz. McCourt said giving farmers fair wages is very important.
“Fair Trade coffee is important with the global economy expanding right now,” McCourt said. “Ethically, it’s the purchasers’ responsibility to uphold the standards of living to sustain farmers.”
McCourt is a business major and said she thinks it’s great businesses are trying to implement humanitarian policies but questions their motives.
“I think a lot of them are doing it to capitalize on their markets,” she said.
Gee agrees with McCourt that Fair Trade is important.
“It’s giving people who work a fair wage,” Gee said. “Our world doesn’t have to be about getting the most money; we need to think about all of the costs of profit.”
Gee said she thinks it is awesome businesses are trying to implement humanitarian policies.
“As humans we shouldn’t be taking away from others,” she said. “We are the richest country in the world.”
The National Family Farm Coalition is a grassroots group working toward representing family farm and rural groups who struggle because of the economic recession.
Executive director Kathy Ozer said their biggest concern is that farmers get treated fairly.
“We are trying to better connect farmers to local markets and establish them,” she said.
When it comes to fair trade as well as organics, Ozer said it is important that when people make those purchases, they know what it means.
Currently, some students are trying to get Pepperdine to make a transition to a new coffee supplier that supports human rights. It’s Pura Vida Coffee, a company geared to fight social injustice.
For example, Pura Vida started a Women and Girls’ Empowerment Fund that provides scholarships in Central America and Africa and teamed up with organizations that are attempting to end poverty.
Senior Ryan Harvey and junior Kalle Akers are two students advocating to change to Pura Vida. Harvey said it’s an all-around good corporation and personally drawn to it because of its Christian mission.
Akers said students are blessed to attend Pepperdine and should realize the responsibility that comes with the blessing. Since students purchase lots of coffee on campus, Akers said using Pura Vida can help other parts of the world.
“As a Christian University, there is no reason not to use our money to be just,” Akers said.
Akers said she loves Pura Vida’s mission statement of giving back to the community of where the coffee came from and is personally attached to Costa Rica after having spent part of a summer there.
Akers said fair trade is important because it understands the tie between environmentalism and social injustice.
“Fair trade goes with sustainability,” Akers said.
Pura Vida will have a test run in the Sandbar to see how students respond to it before using the company for the whole campus.
Director of Housing Jim Brock revealed plans of remodeling the Sandbar to be a yogurt and smoothie station that will boast Pura Vida products hopefully by the end of the year.
Brock said he hopes everything goes well so they can switch over at other stations.
“I’m personally excited about getting Pura Vida,” said Brock.
03-01-2007