Green Verification and Certification – Part 2
Monday, February 2nd, 2009This is the second installment of an article summarizing a conference at January’s National Gift Show at the Javits Center entitled “Get Real . . . Green Verification and Certification” that I attended this week. The conference demonstrated how difficult it is to verify “green” claims some of the pitfalls in the verification process. If you wish to read the first installment, please visit “Green Verification & Certification – Part 1“.
The second speaker was Mac McCoy, the Founder and CEO of the Tibet Collection. While equally committed to the environment, Mr. McCoy approaches the issue from a somewhat different perspective: How to you assure yourself that goods sourced from abroad meet fair trade standards? While respect for the environment is clearly an important consideration, the Fair Trade Federation also examines labor practices and the creation sustainable businesses that adopt fair and sound business practices.
Mr. McCoy believes that “Fair Trade” is built on three principles: Dialogue, Transparency and Respect. The Fair Trade Federation is supported by members who commit to use sound business practices and to voluntarily work with other like-minded organizations throughout the world. Companies who source from abroad and the United States can used the Fair Trade Federation to determine if their suppliers are members of the Federation.
Mr. McCoy believes that organizations like the Fair Trade Federation are raising awareness within the business community to support businesses that act responsibly. Nevertheless, it is an “evolving” process that is gathering momentum and certainly helpful in building sustainable business in the emerging markets.