What is it made from?
100% Fair Rubber (the Fairtrade of rubber) - natural rubber from FCS well-managed forests.
Where is it made?
Fair Squared is a German company. Their rubber is cultivated in India and Sri Lanka.
Is it sustainable?
Natural Rubber – Tapped straight from living and growing rubber trees, natural rubber is the sap of this kind of tree. Grooves are cut into the tree and a container attached to the trunk for the sap to collect in. There are issues with monoculture plantations of rubber trees in some countries, but natural rubber is a much more eco-friendly option than synthetic rubber which is synthesised from crude oil. As you no doubt know, synthetic rubber doesn’t biodegrade but instead breaks down into harmful microplastics. As rubber trees are not cut down to access the sap, they are useful for CO2 capture and storage.
Is it ethical?
This is Fair Rubber – so Fair Squared have an open and transparent supply chain. Fair Rubber is the equivalent of the Fairtrade for rubber. Fairtrade has its limitations, as it only covers certain commodities such as coffee, chocolate and sugar. Fair Rubber works to ensure that rubber tappers work under fair conditions and are paid fairly, an additional 50 cents (in Euros) is paid per kg of rubber, which is the fair-trade premium and helps provide a regular income to the workers. They also make sure that the rubber is produced to a certain standard.
Fair Squared decided to support an alternative trade system with their business, one that promotes and implements a fairer system for workers and protects the environment and animal welfare. All of their products are produced under this fair-trade system and they pay the fair-trade premium to all of the producers they work with, which helps benefits the communities in these areas.
Extra Good Stuff:
As a company, Fair Squared have many seals of approval for their products or business practices, including - Fair Trade, NaTrue, The Vegan Society (flower logo), PETA Cruelty-Free, Halal, Fair Rubber, FSC, Climate Partner. These accreditations show their ongoing commitment to being transparent, ethical and sustainable as a business. Fair Squared have, through Climate Partner, made their products ‘climate-neutral’ - any emissions emitted during manufacture are offset through financing a project to provide families in Raichur, India, with clean and efficient pressure cookers.
They also have a new zero-waste commitment that they are starting to implement.
Conclusion:
Go potty for this long-lasting, Fair Rubber, plastic-free seed pot tray!