Fair Trade Sports, Inc is the first sports equipment company in the US to launch a full line of eco-certified Fair Trade sports balls, ensuring fair wages and healthy working conditions for their adult employees.
Fair Trade Sports’ balls are not only eco-certified, but vegan and union-made by adults who are paid fair wages in decent working conditions. They’ve pioneered the use of eco-certified rubber from a sustainably-run forest, rather than rubber from mono-crop, destructive rubber tree plantations. Finally, they pay a 20 percent premium, which goes directly to a worker-run organization that grants micro-loans to women-run businesses, and provides healthcare for the workers’ families.
“I started this company to bring market pressure to bear on Nike, Adidas and the other multinational companies to improve the human rights and environmental aspects behind their sports balls. And to have fun doing so.” ~Scott James (Owner, Fair Trade Sports)
Fair Trade Sports’ product certifications include:
- Certified Fair Trade
- IMAC (Independent Monitoring association for Child Labor)
- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
- Certified Union-Made (International Labour Organization)
- Bureau veritas SA 8000:2001
- FIFA Inspected
- FIFA Approved
