Traidcraft has announced their plans to reject the traditional discount holiday of Black Friday by revealing the cost breakdown and profits of every Traidcraft-branded product.
The pioneering move creates the world’s first product range with full transparency published for consumers. The movement aims to reveal true costs in the supply chains and advocate for justice in trade. Customers will be able to view the full cost breakdown of their products by accessing a unique URL code, printed on their invoice.
From shipping, production, and profit, Traidcraft will reveal the true cost of your favourite products at every step of the production line. Delivering fair trade and ethically sourced products, the group hopes to prove their dedication to sharing their profits fairly with all workers, asking why other companies are failing to offer this level of transparency.
Sarah Main, Content Strategist, at Traidcraft, said: “Our service gives customers a clear choice this Black Friday—continue to allow large businesses to profit from unsustainable and unethical products without regard for the livelihood of farmers and production workers, or begin to buy ethically sourced products, with full cost transparency.
“Black Friday is a tradition based on rushed spending. We hope that customers will take time to understand the consequences of their shopping choices and choose fair products as we enter the festive period.”
This is not the first time that Traidcraft has broken the tradition of flash-sales and increased spending. Last year, the fair trade pioneers downed tools on Black Friday, served refreshments to the vulnerable in their local area and cultivated their own garden to address social and environmental justice. Afterwards, they even launched a line of Transparent Coffee. Similar to this year’s campaign, the company unveiled the true cost of coffee by publishing how much farmers are paid and the expense of shipping, roasting, and packaging—all printed on the front of the packaging. The move provoked widespread debate over the treatment of international production workers.
With 2020 proving to be a year unlike any other, Traidcraft asks customers to change one more habit as the year comes to end. The group has stated that they want to do Black Friday differently this year, but they can only achieve this through the encouragement and support of their customers.
Sarah continued: “Rejecting Black Friday is not a move to cancel one of the few remaining traditions that this adverse year has allowed. Instead, we’re asking people to enjoy this holiday by making new choices, choices that are kind, and choices that are fair.”
