There are few things more exciting, rewarding and overwhelming than walking on stage to accept your diploma. You are about to enter the next chapter of your life as you graduate. Being an adult you are accountable, more than ever, to your life decisions. Whether you believe it or not, your choices as you become an adult member of society and part of the workforce can create change. 

We live in a consumption driven society. This is the cycle of the modern economy. The unfortunate truth is that traditional businesses value profit over people and the environment. Would you buy a piece of jewelry or clothing if you knew that makers were exploited in the process? Would you support a brand if their business practices cause harm to Mother Earth, your home? 

You can use your dollar to make other people’s dreams come true, vote for equality, support sustainability, and empower inclusivity. 

How to start your journey to making ethical choices: 

1. Before purchasing anything, do your research! Make a list of your current favorite brands and take a look at what they are really about. It’s easy to be swayed by fads and trends but following what’s in fashion, may not be the best ethical choice. 
2. Find out more about the brands by researching their business practices. If there are no resources, be courageous enough to ask them about it. 
3. Be constantly conscious of how you spend your dollar. Use the power of your pocket to support brands that matter. Choose brands that continue to strive for ethical practices in doing their business. 
4. Start supporting brands that are committed to fair trade! Fair Trade is a simple and beautiful idea wherein both people and the environment are taken into consideration in the production of goods. 
5. Lastly, don’t beat yourself too much in the process of the shift to a more sustainable lifestyle. Take it one purchase at a time. What matters the most is that you continue to make the effort. 

We invite and urge you, as a member of the future generation, to be a changemaker in your own way. Even through what may seem to be trivial daily decisions, like buying your groceries, shopping for home essentials, or for a new wardrobe, you CAN make a difference in the lives of others. Making an ethical choice, one day at a time, creates a positive ripple effect! 

Mother's Day is a time to honor ALL mothers - that includes grandmothers, aunts, daughters who are mothers, and more. This Mother’s Day we hope you will consider purchasing fair trade gifts that are ethically handmade by talented artisans.  When buying our products you honor these courageous  women - most of whom are mothers themselves - who are behind each creation. Make this year’s gift extra special by buying a gift that gives back to women and mothers across the globe!

Here are some of our suggested gifts for Mom:  

Fair Trade Scarves 

Scarves are a basic staple in any woman’s wardrobe.  We just love how one can play around with scarves throughout any season. Whether your mom uses her scarf as an accent to her wardrobe, a decorative piece for her bag if she’s feeling creative, or as a wrap when your family hits the beach--- she’ll love our ethically made scarves from India, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Guatemala and Indonesia! Explore our Scarf Collection 

Ethically made Jewelry 

You’ve probably noticed the wide variety of jewelry on our website, all handmade by our artisan partners around the globe. There are definitely a lot of pieces to choose from, and depending on your mom’s personality, we’re sure you can find something that’ll speak to her. We especially like our latest Spring Collection with themes ranging from fun, color, and class. Our silver collection in particular, is easy to wear everyday. We also have necklaces, bracelets and rings featuring stones and pearls. 

Handmade Tote Bags 

We have two NEW tote bags from India! Our Recycled Kaleidoscope Tote Bag and Recycled Indigo Bag are made of recycled fabric and a bit of suede with pockets meant to keep everything organized for the day. If your mom loves to have everything organized when heading out, she’ll totally love these colorful and fabulous totes! These bags have a laid back look, which she can pair with her casual daily attire. 

Curated Home Decor 

Does your mom never stop improving and beautifying her home? Our ethically made home accents might just be the right gift for her. We have handmade baskets from Guatemala and Kenya that can be used as decorations, fruit baskets and organizers. Our wooden spoons and salad servers will also be a great addition to her kitchen accessories. Explore Home Decor Collection. 

We believe that moms deserve a gift that is an expression of your love for her!  And now you can get any of our ethically made products at 20% off. Even our New Arrivals are on sale.  Use code MOM20 upon check-out through Sunday, May 2^nd to receive the discount.  For every purchase you make, you are not only making your mom smile but other women too. 

“The fact is that no species has ever had such wholesale control over everything on earth, living or dead, as we now have. That lays upon us, whether we like it or not, an awesome responsibility. In our hands now lies not only our own future, but that of all other living creatures with whom we share the earth.”

― David Attenborough, Life on Earth

 The Earth is our home and the planet where we thrive as human beings alongside nature. However, as we continue in our pursuit towards development and advancement without taking care of the environment our planet suffers the repercussions. Earth Day is a reminder that we are one with the Earth rather than separate entities going about our daily lives. 

We are part of the planet, as such it is our responsibility to be involved. Our involvement is important because ecology is not only about the presence of natural resources but it also includes us of course. We consume more than 80% of the planet’s natural resources, mostly without thinking about the results of these decisions. If we continue acting in ways that aren’t sustainable to the environment, we all lose. 

Why Earth Day? 

“Earthday.org’s mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day in 1970, EARTHDAY.ORG is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 75,000 partners in over 190 countries to drive positive action for our planet.” - Earth Day 

Since its inception in 1970, Earth Day is a reminder for all to voice out and channel human energy to environmental issues. Every year we celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd with the goal towards bold, creative, and innovative solutions to address the environmental crisis. 

The fight is a continuous effort to bring into light transformational change around the world to take action with commitment. Earthday.Org focuses on the following issues around the world: 

•  Climate Action
•  Science and Education
•  People and Communities
•  Conservation and Restoration
•  Plastic and Pollution 

Be Part of Earth Day 2021 

"As the world returns to normal, we can’t go back to business-as-usual.” 

- Lindsay Dunahee, 

The state of our environment is the key to our survival. Join the discussion from April 20-22 in celebration of Earth Day 2021.  Listen to world leaders and jump into the discussion on how we can prevent disasters as a result of climate change and environmental destruction. While we cannot completely reverse the environmental damage we've caused, we can still be part of the healing process. It's easy to brush off environmental issues and leave them to the big players. However, our choices, actions and decisions as individuals, organizations and businesses play an important role.  Your micro-world affects the whole and when individual voices come together, change is underway.

Women’s Peace Collection - Sustainability Practices

Women’s Peace Collection is committed to being a sustainable business and incorporating as many environmentally sound practices as possible.  Last year we made a decision to eliminate virtually all plastic in our operations (with the exception of re-using the plastic that we receive our items in). We scouted out alternative packaging options and discovered some wonderful recycled paper shipping solutions.  While a bit more expensive, we’re thrilled with what we’ve come up with.  Our minimalist packaging now includes recycled and recyclable paper packages (including all paper padded envelopes), as well as reused packing paper.   If you’ve ordered from us you’ve probably noticed our kind of funky looking packages – we hope you appreciate the intent behind them!

In our administrative operations, we recycle all paper and plastic and reuse materials whenever possible.  We are about to introduce a new feature at checkout on our website where we offer our customers the option to pay to plant trees in order to offset their carbon footprint.  Stay tuned!

Women’s Peace Collection is also committed to sourcing sustainable products.  Our clothing, jewelry and accessories are largely made with recycled textiles or organic cotton; and our metal jewelry is sourced from recycled metals or sustainable mining operations. Additionally, our baskets, some of our clothing, and many of our accessories are sourced from renewable plant and animal materials such as pine needles, grasses, bamboo, and alpaca.

We strive to have environmental stewardship at the top of our priority list, always!

Happy Earth Day!

It is easy to be swayed and influenced by the glamorized world of fashion. We are bombarded with advertisements from brands all over the web which influence every decision we make when it comes to buying clothes and accessories without ever asking who made them.  As we seek to learn and become more conscious of how consumption works and its effect on our lives, we can begin shifting the gears towards change. 

What is the Fashion Revolution? 

This year marks the 8th year of the Rana Plaza incident, which sparked the Fashion Revolution Movement. In 2013 a garment factory with over 5,000 workers (mostly women) in Bangladesh collapsed taking the lives of thousands. Prior to its collapse, there were already reports specifying the unsafe conditions in the workplace. The workers did not feel safe in the factory but these concerns were set aside resulting in the catastrophe that put the fashion industry, stripped of its glamour, into the spotlight.

Every April, we celebrate the Fashion Revolution Movement. The main goal of the movement is to mobilize people around the globe to challenge how the existing fashion industry does things-- beginning with the supply chain.

Who made your clothes? Who made your jewelry? Who made your bag? Who made your shoes? There are faces behind every item you purchase. It passes through the hands of artisans and workers. Fashion Revolution calls out brands and businesses in the fashion industry and also appeals to us, as consumers, to be aware of our own purchases and consumption habits. 

Why Fair Trade? 

Fair Trade may not be the sole solution but it’s a start. Through fair trade principles the incident at Rana Plaza can be prevented from happening again. Fair Trade reinforces the ideals on which the Fashion Revolution Movement stands for - where artisans are protected and treated with dignity. 

Workers under the Fair Trade model are paid with fair wages, work in safe conditions and are empowered through capacity building. Most importantly, fair trade businesses and organizations are expected to be transparent and accountable throughout their supply chain. A fair trade enterprise has a genuine concern over the social, economic and environmental well-being of artisans and producers. 

As a Fair Trade enterprise, we, at Women’s Peace Collection, stand alongside the Fashion Revolution Movement by selling ethical, beautiful, handcrafted items made in global villages and cities by talented artisans. 

We are challenging the norms of the fashion industry by: 

1. Providing fair wages for our artisan partners
2. Supporting the ethical treatment of our partners &
3. Choosing sustainability over profit 

Learn more about our mission & values. 

It’s a long road to break the chain of unethical practices in the fashion industry, however through collective action we can become the very agents of change. 

Want to continue supporting artisans around the globe with your dollar as part of your Fashion Revolution challenge?  Shop our Spring Collection.

“A challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change.  So let's all choose to challenge ourselves.  How will you help forge a gender- equal world?  Celebrate women's achievement.  Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.”   (Internationalwomensday.com)

On March 8 we officially celebrate International’s Women’s Day to commemorate accomplishments by women around the globe. History has shown how women have fought for equality throughout the generations, something which continues to this very day. 

The achievements of women across the globe cannot be ignored.  We hear, read, and witness the struggles of women around the world as well as their conviction to facilitate change. This strong drive makes women convincing advocates to address their struggles and to find the solutions to these problems. 

This year's theme for International Women’s Day is #ChooseToChallenge. We are called to challenge stereotypes and preconceived notions towards women. Dare to stand-up against inequality and use your voice to call-out injustices experienced by women. 

The time is right to #ChooseToChallenge ourselves and be free of the biases ingrained by society. Use this inner conviction to unlearn preconceived notions, and be an agent of change to educate your own community. 

We join IWD in their goal to forge a gender equal world by celebrating women’s achievement and standing against inequality. Here are IWD’s mission: 

• Celebrate women in tech and innovation 
• Applaud equality for women in sport 
• Educate women on health choice decisions 
• Build inclusive workplaces so women thrive 
• Forge women's empowerment worldwide 

As a women-led business, we value the importance of women’s role in our society. Our work as a social enterprise helps women around the world to realize their dreams and create a better life for themselves and their families. 

When women are given the opportunity to thrive, their community thrives along with them. We are responsible for our own actions and thoughts. We can choose the path where we all stand side by side, as a collective, to create a more inclusive community.  Stand-up, raise your hand and show your support to women worldwide. 

We may no longer see the type of “slavery” that’s recorded in history textbooks, but in this modern era, we now face a different kind of “slavery.” A new type that exists both in the light and darkness cast by our society.  

While slavery was officially abolished in the US by the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, it has adapted and evolved to become human trafficking; wherein human beings are exploited for profit.  

By official definition --- Human Trafficking is “ the recruitment, transport, transfer, harboring or receipt of a person by such means as threat or used of force or other forms coercion, abduction, fraud or deception for the purpose of exploitation. There are core elements in the definition of trafficking which are: action of trafficking, means of trafficking, & purpose of trafficking” (United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime).

Human trafficking also includes “sexual explotiation, forced labor, involuntary servitude, forced marriage, and debt bondage.” 

Looking Deeper into Human Trafficking 

Every country in the world is affected by human trafficking, often occurring from “less developed countries to more developed countries, where people are rendered vulnerable to trafficking by virtue of poverty, conflict or other conditions “ (United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime).

Scarier still, exploitation against human beings continues to increase annually, with signs of increasing growth at a mind-boggling rate. 

Women and young children top the majority of people exploited on a daily basis. 

But looking at it through an objective lens --- Human Trafficking is a business that brings immense profit --- at the expense of the suffering of other human beings. 

An estimated 40.3 million people worldwide are continuously being trafficked with sex trafficking as one of the planet’s fastest growing criminal industries. 

Based on UNDOC’s Global Report on Trafficking; sexual exploitation is identified as the most common and documented form of white slavery. Its rate stands at 79%, followed by forced labor at 18%. Other forms of exploitation are rarely, or never, reported.

Spreading Awareness, Together 

While January 11 is declared as National Human Trafficking Awareness day, the whole month is declared as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

This started in 2011 through a Presidential Proclamation by President Barack Obama. 

If you have been supporting Women’s Peace Collection, you well know that Human Trafficking is one of the issues we feel strongly about. In standing alongside those fighting against any form of exploitation, we adhere to the belief that thorough awareness breeds and leads to action. 

With widespread awareness in Human Trafficking you can, as an individual or as an organization, help in eradicating this horrific problem and rescuing victims situated in critical areas. 

National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month brings to light our collective opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. Let’s choose to educate ourselves about human trafficking, as well as advocate against any form of injustice towards our fellow human beings. 

We are now in the final month of the year - 2020 has definitely been a roller-coaster ride across the globe!  We’ve seen how the “normal” way of living has been brought to a halt, thus disrupting the flow that we were all once used to.  Many businesses - be they large, medium, and small - have been affected. And of course this extends to communities supported by the income generated by these businesses. 

For this year, celebrating the holiday season is simply going to be vastly different--- in many ways, for many people. However, despite the pandemic, the holidays are definitely not going to be cancelled. It’s a special time of year and we’ll make adjustments to what we “normally” do. 

A definite shift has occurred, really making this year a call for change. We strongly feel that change should be made for the betterment of all: be it for individuals, communities, and the planet!  

The holidays are a time of giving and receiving, We encourage you to make your dollar count by investing in gifts that matter. By this we mean buying from local brands and from small businesses that are making a difference in the lives of others. 

Level it up by making sure you are sharing gifts that are ethically and fairly made!

Here are some reasons why making the decision to buy Fair Trade makes a potential difference. 

 1. Meaningful Purchase 

However you choose to spend your dollar, you are casting a vote as to the sort of difference in the world you want to support. Whether it is a product or a service that you are investing in, you are making a statement. 

Every time you purchase Fair Trade products, you are telling the world that you stand for fairness and equality. Fair Trade principles include the monitoring of fair wages, community building and development, social, economic and development projects such as scholarships and health care to name a few. 

With this in mind, your purchase truly makes an impact on a lot of people. 

 2. Support Dreams 

We work with women around the world to assist them in realizing their dreams for themselves, their family and their community. Our meaningful collections are created by women from over 12 countries all around the globe. 

By buying Fair Trade, you help dreams come true by promoting self-sufficiency and prosperity for the artisans and their families. 

 3.  Kindness & Compassion 

At its essence Fair Trade is grounded in principles of kindness and compassion. Notably we see this in how Fair Trade provides an avenue for artisans, farmers, workers around the globe to have better, honorable, respectable lives. 

Fair Trade is not based on hand-outs, but rather about empowering individuals to have a sustainable and fair alternative to alleviate them from poverty and discrimination. With every purchase of fairly made products, you are acknowledging the worth of their work--- the talent and time they devote to putting forth their best efforts in each and every piece they create. 

4. You care for Mother Earth 

At its very core Fair Trade practice means commitment to care for the world we live in. When you buy Fair Trade, you are supporting organizations that are working to save the planet! 

How is this done? 

Extra care with environmentally-ethical practices goes into the production of the products--- to produce quality products that are also kind to the environment. For example, jewelry pieces are made of recycled materials or baskets are made of sustainable, eco-friendly materials that are not detrimental to the environment. 

5.  A Better World 

In general, buying Fair Trade helps make a better world both for humans and the planet. Now, isn’t that a great reason to give Fair Trade gifts to your loved ones this holiday season?