Jack In The Green is all about ethics.
I choose suppliers who build on a foundation of trust and personal relationships with their artisans.
Due diligence is important so you know that the people you are dealing with are decent people. I always check suppliers are ethical, good to staff and compliant with local laws etc. Here is a bit of an insight behind the wholesale scenes into the people on the ground across the world who make sure products are the best they can be and ethically produced.
Below are some of the people, agents, who work with my suppliers to ensure good ethics and support for the artisans.
This Mr Chatterjee in India. He is described by one of my wholesalers as “one of the kindest humans on earth, he spends his spare time feeding needy people and helps with the children's home we support.”
Coco in China. Described as “one of the hardest working people you will meet, endless energy and enthusiasm.”
Ringo in Indonesia. “One of the humblest and gentlest guys alive. But resourceful and totally in control. “
Agents work on behalf of suppliers and are trusted with lots of money, millions of pounds. They have to work in the interest of suppliers , but of course they have endless conflicts of interest and many potential areas for corruption. For example, a supplier could offer kickbacks for extracting a higher price, there are lots of ways to undermine the agent relationship. So, it is important to choose those who build accountability and targets, who don't naively trust but are respectful. The agents work to help suppliers find artisans to buy from. They must also visit these craft workers and workplaces regularly to check for themselves that they have good working conditions and take suppliers regularly to see for themselves what is happening on the ground.
It is agents like these who are worth their weight in gold because they develop relationships for years, decades in fact for some of my suppliers. It is a win win for everyone. The workers get fair pay, me and my suppliers can run ethical businesses that are accountable and sustainable and you get to buy products supporting communities around the world as well as planting trees.
One of the things I look forward to in particular is receiving newsletters from my ethical suppliers who share with me their latest news including pictures and information all about the products, as well as the folks who create them.
This is about we humans supporting each other. It is about family, community and traditional crafts. It is also about sustainability making sure soy wax for candles for example, doesn't come from cleared rainforest areas. This is also why every purchase you make with Jack In The Green plants trees. :-)
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