This year Greenkit decided to spread the festive joy by sending e-cards rather than paper Christmas cards. We have spent 2020 finding new ways to cut carbon emissions at any scale possible, so cutting out paper cards made sense. We couldn’t do a charity event this year because of the Covid 19 outbreak. So we were keen to find a way to reduce paper and support a fairer Christmas at the same time.

Don’t Send Me a Card, a website that produces good quality e-cards and uses profits to support a variety of charities was the answer. Although it was difficult to pick just one cause, Traidcraft Exchange  caught our attention. This charity’s main objective is to fight poverty through trade and try to tackle wealth disparities between the global north and south. Traidcraft Exchange focus on enabling local producers to grow their businesses, find markets and engage in trade. However, they do not just help to provide jobs, but do this in an eco-friendly way.

One current campaign focuses on the  ‘Fast Fashion Crisis’. This has been exacerbated since the onset of the global pandemic. Big brands cancel orders and break supply contracts that cripple the livelihoods of textile workers across the world. One of Traidcraft Exchange’s many projects supports small businesses in Bangladesh to make clothing from recycled fabrics. These businesses help women who have faced barriers or disadvantage back into work. We really like their problem solving approach. Their commitment to both protect the environment and  support disadvantaged workers through the global pandemic really struck a chord with us as a sustainable business.

It’s been a very hard year for everyone, but at Greenkit we’ve had access to government support. And since the first lockdown we’ve been able to help lots of our customers get their projects underway again. Traidcraft Exchange clients don’t have that chance. So we’d like to thank all our customers and suppliers for helping us give them a fairer Christmas.  We hope that 2021 brings better things for all of you and for Traidcraft Exchange clients too.

Photo from: Traidcraft Exchange Twitter (https://twitter.com/traidcraftexch/status/1229698804531769344/photo/1)