Support Community Trade

What's happening in the US

"Our trade with these communities is not just about creating another product or market for The Body Shop. It is about exchange and value, trade and respect, friendship and trust."

The Body Shop Community Trade program all started with Anita in the late 1980's when she developed trading relationships with local groups she met during her world travels.

Now it's making a world of difference: from some 25 countries, from Australia to Zambia, we trade with over 35 suppliers ranging from Nicaraguan sesame farmers to Indian handicraft producers....

In 2002/03, The Body Shop purchased around £5million worth of natural ingredients and accessory items through the Community Trade program, including nearly 700 tonnes of natural ingredients.

What is community trade?

Community Trade is a targeted purchasing program of accessories and natural ingredients from disadvantaged communities around the world. It is The Body Shop commitment to fair trade. We get good quality products at a fair price which covers production, wages and also enables communities to invest in their future. They get a sustained source of income which can be used for improving education or sanitation, building homes and modernizing farming methods, to name but a few.

But it is about far more than exchanging goods for money - it is also about the quality of the relationships involved. These trading relationships are based on trust and respect and aim to enable communities to work towards their social and economic goals.

Community Trade also aims to re-establish the connection between producer and purchaser, between origin and destination, between community based organisations and high street shops.

Why do you have a community trade program?

Community Trade is about targeting some of our purchasing power and commercial experience where we can make the most difference by working with people who will benefit most from our trade. It's about using The Body Shop expertise as an international retailer and sharing that knowledge with small-scale local enterprises, often in remote areas, that would not normally have the chance to trade with an international company such as The Body Shop. The Body Shop advises in areas such as developing new customers, quality control, new product development and diversification and business planning. But, most importantly, The Body Shop places orders with these organisations, demonstrating our faith in the quality of the product and the community's ability to supply a large company with an order.

Community Trade is a powerful and practical expression of our commitment to social change, supporting long-term, sustainable trading relationships with communities in need.

So who benefits from community trade, and how?

Everybody benefits.

• The Body Shop gets great ingredients and products; it also provides us with a better way to do business with fairness, respect and trust.
• Suppliers benefit from receipt of actual orders, fair pricing and support in trying to meet their wider community goals in the ways that they have chosen. They gain access to markets and develop necessary business skills.
• Customers get high quality products and ingredients from around the world and an opportunity to support community organisations and to make a difference by how they spend their money.
• Business is provided with a model of ethical trading and the opportunity to learn from our successes and failures and respond to the increasing demands for better standards of global trade.

On what basis are suppliers selected as being community trade, and how are the trading relationships evaluated on an ongoing basis?

In 1994, The Body Shop developed a set of Fair Trade Guidelines to ensure that Community Trade relationships have the greatest chance of fulfilling a community's goals. Five key areas were identified in order to see whether potential Community Trade suppliers would fit into the aims of the Community Trade program.

1. COMMUNITY
   We are looking to work with established community organisations which represent the interests of their people.
2. COMMUNITY IN NEED
   We target those groups who are disadvantaged in some way, those whose opportunities are limited.
3. BENEFITS
   We want the primary producers and their wider community to benefit from the trade - socially as well as economically.
4. COMMERCIAL VIABILITY
   It has to make good commercial sense meaning that price, quality, capacity and availability are carefully considered.
5. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
   The trade has to meet The Body Shop standards for environmental and animal protection.

These areas are also used to make ongoing reviews of our existing trading relationships.

Which products are community traded?

A wide variety of accessories, gifts and natural ingredients are purchased through the Community Trade program.

We currently source some 25 natural ingredients ranging from marula oil from Namibia to bananas from the Caribbean. Some ingredients, such as shea butter and honey, have traditionally been used for cosmetic purposes by other peoples for hundreds of years. For others, such as sesame oil and babassu oil, The Body Shop has created an alternative market for ingredients traditionally used by communities for purposes such as food and energy.

Accessories and gifts vary from the File-a-Foot, loofahs and pumices to massagers and hair accessories as well as organdy bags and gift boxes made from recycled paper. While some products are made using long-established skills in a new and innovative way, others are contemporary versions of products based on traditional designs. Many are handmade using locally available materials.

How many are there?

Currently, around 500 products contain Community Traded natural ingredients and this number continues to grow. The Body Shop make-up range contains Community Traded marula oil from Namibia, an amazing natural moisturiser, never used before in cosmetics.

How can I tell when a product in store in community traded?

The majority of products that contain Community Traded ingredients now have a Community Trade mention on the label. This usually highlights the Community Trade ingredient as well as the country where it is sourced. Accessories and gift items carry the Community Trade logo.

Why aren't all the products sold in The Body Shop purchased through the community trade program?

Developing the Community Trade program is a slow and careful process. There is an ongoing commitment from the company to continue to increase the program while maintaining the quality of the Community Trade relationships which is fundamental to the success of the program so far.

How many community trade suppliers are there, and where are they located?

We currently trade with 36 suppliers from 23 countries around the world, from Australia to Zambia.

So does community trade really work?

A number of sources indicate that Community Trade is making a difference to the people it aims to benefit. Most significant, is what the producers themselves say about the trade:

"Bawngrass producers were leaving their jobs and were employed in garment factories and other industries but they are now returning to their village and working." Project co-ordinator, Dhaka Handicrafts Bangladesh.

"With this income from selling seed to the JFPSC (Juan Francisco Paz Silva Co-operative) and from selling a few animals, we were able to save up to buy a few manzanas of land, and so now we can not only guarantee our food and livelihood, but we also have an income. My daughter goes to school in Achuapa and now we have a small shop here." Account of a sesame seed farmer, Nicaragua.

We do not pretend that there have not been difficulties in developing this kind of program. Since the late 1980s, when it first started with Anita Roddick establishing trading relationships with local groups she met during her world travels, the Community Trade program has been a journey with challenges along the way. We've made mistakes and faced criticism, but Community Trade is and will remain a fundamental part of the way The Body Shop does business.

Evidence from producers, independent evaluators and others suggest that, while difficulties and problems occur, Community Trade is a viable proposition and benefits all parties involved.

Are there any other companies / organizations who have similar purchasing practices?

All companies have the ability to apply their purchasing power in a positive way. Recently, a number of companies are making moves to improve their purchasing practices and monitor their supply chains, largely as a result of consumer pressure and growing public awareness of these issues. The Body Shop is involved in a number of initiatives to work with other businesses in this area but, to our knowledge, The Body Shop is still the only commercial retailer which has a targeted purchasing program like the Community Trade program.

The Body Shop also works closely with Alternative Trading Organisations and Fair Trade companies such as Day Chocolate Company, CafeDirect, OXFAM, TWIN Trading and Traidcraft who have much valuable experience in Fair Trade.

Why is there currently so much focus on these issues?

There has recently been an increased awareness among people around the world of issues such as globalisation. This has led to growing concern about the way companies do business. Consumers are starting to ask about the origins of their products, about the producers, their working conditions and their wages. They are also realising that they can make a difference, that their actions can force businesses to change.

Why is The Body Shop taking on these issues?

Over the years, The Body Shop has taken an increasingly active role in drawing these issues to public attention. We realise that we are all - as businesses and customers - connected to the global economy, whether we like it or not, and we are responsible for what happens in that global consumer market.

The Body Shop is in a powerful position. By our words and actions, we can help develop this focus on fair trade, increase awareness and motivate consumers to take action and to make a difference to disadvantaged communities by how they spend their money.

Find out more information about what we believe and the DHR campaign history on our global website.