You have no items in your cart.
You're currently on:
Play ball, with a fair trade ball
If you’re a socially conscious sports-player, a Saturday pick-up match can lead to debate about whether that ball—or any of your other gear, for that matter—was made using child labour. Well, now you can get back in the game, because Fair Trade Sports equipment scores big for the human-rights team.
A hand-sewn soccer ball bears an average of 657 stitches. Until recently, this work was carried out mainly by children in Pakistan, where three out of four of the world’s soccer balls are assembled. Stitching a ball takes a couple of hours, and costs about 75 cents in labour. But since the World Cup in 1998, increasing attention has been paid to the conditions under which soccer balls are manufactured—thanks in large part to the Fair Play! Fair Pay? advocacy campaign. Now most major sporting goods companies guarantee that their balls are stitched under fair conditions.
In addition to being certified Fair Trade (hence the name), Fair Trade Sports balls are also union-made. That means the company ensures that their workers in Pakistan have healthy conditions and are paid proper wages. Vegan players can rejoice, knowing these balls never had a face—they’re made of synthetic leather with latex bladders. Fair Trade Sports equipment is also eco-certified. Read: These balls are green (well, figuratively). Specifically, company execs promise the rubber bladder is sourced from Forest Stewardship Council approved forests. And if that’s not enough to get you off the sidelines, you can dribble and pass knowing the company’s after-tax profits go straight to children’s charities.
So let the guilt-free games begin.
Page:
1
5 Item(s) Total
5 Item(s) Total