"Hundreds of thousands of children labour in the West Coast of Africa to produce cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate. Specifically, over 40% of the global supply originates in the Ivory Coast, where the US Department of State reports that over 109,000 children work under the worst forms of child labour. Of these 10,000 are victims of human trafficking or enslavement. Children working in cocoa production labour long hours and are often required to use dangerous tools. They are frequently exposed to toxic pesticides in the fields that create health issues and are forced to walk long distances in extreme heat. Furthermore, because these children work long hours they are denied access to an education." -- From Free2Work.org
It may have been a few years since working
with Not For Sale in the seemingly always foggy and slightly chilly Half Moon
Bay, but the knowledge I learned while memorizing statistics and information from
presentations for the Not For Sale Tour will pop up in my head from time to
time. These fleeting moments of information overload present themselves at the
most inconvenient of times…often when I
don’t have the power to change anything, even when I wish I could.
These moments occur most often at work.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with
where I work, I work at an adorable boutique bakery whose delicious treats are
absolutely incredible, and whose instagram feed, social media marketing, and
overall aesthetic is unparalleled by any other bakery. Sticking to brand name
products ensures we provide the best of the best to our customers, who come in
knowing an Oreo does actually taste different from ‘cookies and cream’
knock-off cookies.
It’s actually very interesting when you
think about it—an entire culture where we’ve been sold the ideal that brand
names mean better quality and a better product. Where even the name of a
product alluring to a brand more commonly known is what customers will buy.
They don’t want something that’s just chocolate peanut butter—they want
something chocolate peanut butter cup (which
is a whole blog post all on it’s own!).
This brings me to where my heart aches at a
busy time such as Easter.
As someone who is continually striving in
my personal and outside-of-my-day-job-professional life to not give in to the
societal claims of excellence from brand names and their façade of high end living,
but am trying to live in an authentic way which showcases an alternative life
of ethical purchasing and living, it can be hard to work where Mini Egg everything
is a necessity.
So where does that leave me?
First off, it leaves me to admit that I do
enjoy sneaking a mini egg (or five) when they are sitting in the kitchen. They
are so darn delicious!
But more importantly, it leaves me exactly where it leaves you—looking for other ethical
options for my upcoming Easter celebrations because there will always be
situations in life we can’t control—which means we need to appreciate the
extreme value in situations we can control, and not squander them when they
reveal themselves.
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This Easter I want to encourage you to make a stand for the rights of human beings
around the globe in going above the cute packaging, clever marketing, and
adorable egg and bunny shapes that overtake your senses in stores. I want you to commit
to purchasing ethically made chocolate and candy.
While a task like this
does get easier every year, it is still a leap away from being as easy as it is
to head into your local super retailer, and buy some cheap priced chocolate from
the shelves while also purchasing your vegetables and cat food. As you swim through
an ocean of rich, milky, indulgences in Superstore, Walmart, Shoppers Drugmart,
etc. do you see a Fair Trade option? And I mean a real fair
trade option—none of this
Cadbury-providing-Dairy Milk-as-their-ONLY-Fair-trade option? Do you see
chocolate eggs in festive packaging made by a company that is dedicated to caring
about those that work to get the cocoa from the field to the production line?
Chances are, in your average retail store in Canada, these particular items are
not lining the shelves in mass quantities.
It's going to take
time, effort, and research to find chocolate and candy options that care about
those individuals making the treat first, and profits second.
You'll have to venture into stores you might not normally take a look in (Ten Thousand Villages, or even some health food stores), and you may even have to order
goodies online. My hope is you will realize how often we contribute to the continuation and expansion of slavery around the world. One place I’ve
found recently is Bulk Barn. Surprisingly enough, they provide a decent
selection of fairtrade products. Another great option are the
‘healthy/organic’ aisles of Superstore. While you might not find fairtrade
adorable eggs stocked in bulk like mini eggs, an ethical chocolate bar wrapped
in DIY Easter packaging can be festive enough to have someone forget they aren’t
getting chocolate in an egg shape.
While the general idea
behind this post is to have an Ethical Easter, I think the real challenge is
accepting, acknowledging and allowing this challenge to resonate in your
day-to-day life. Our day-to-day lives are tainted with slavery. Valuable and
worthy human lives are often exploited in making our worthless products. The people making the items we treat as so
disposable are being disposed of themselves by our blatant disregard for their
existence. Documentaries like The Dark Side of Chocolate, and The True Cost,
are showcasing the direct impact our consumerism has on the lives of those
creating the products we purchase often without much thought (except to our
bank accounts).
The window of
knowledge has been slowly opening to shine bright light into the dark room of
slavery, and those who peer through the window are actively trying to do
something.
People are starting to
notice.
People are starting to
care.
A movement is
happening.
Be someone who makes
decisions to pursue ideals that would make your grandma proud—choose to be a
smart consumer, choose to acknowledge the lives of people making your chocolate
as valuable and worthy of the same basic rights as you are, be someone who
doesn’t give into the craze of mini eggs and fight back with your purchasing
power. And, most importantly, allow this mentality to radiate into your everyday life.
Will you have an Ethical Easter?
FAQ's:
Will Fair Trade or Ethical chocolate be more expensive?
Yes, it will be. With good reason-- caring about everyone in the supply chain! From those farming to those working in the factories, the people in the supply chain are treated fairly. It's worth it to spend a little more to know that people are being treated right!
So the chocolate is more expensive, which means I can't buy as much. What about the traditions of my friends/family/children/co-workers/neighbours/general human beings I am in contact with have?
I understand that your family tradition is to hid a bazillion chocolate eggs all around the house and do a massive hunt on Easter Sunday. Traditions can be adjusted! Instead of hiding a bazillion eggs, hide clues that lead to a basket of treats! It's still a hunt and still awesome! Maybe you could splurge and hide a bazillion fair trade eggs!
How can I explain to my youth group/family/co-workers why they aren't receiving the generic chocolate they expect and love, without making it seem like I am being a jerk?
No one wants to make someone feel bad. Explain to them that you have been learning about what happens with the production of chocolate, and that you are using your purchasing power to make a difference. We've all been the person who had no idea this was happening. Take this opportunity to share with them the excitement you have about being a conscious consumer! Maybe you'll get them in on the movement! Even kids can find a connection. Does your kid love to go to school? Does your kid love to play sports, or dance, etc. Connecting the dots of "You get to do this, but not all kids get to. Some kids have to work all day long." can make a huge impact!
Will Fair Trade or Ethical chocolate be more expensive?
Yes, it will be. With good reason-- caring about everyone in the supply chain! From those farming to those working in the factories, the people in the supply chain are treated fairly. It's worth it to spend a little more to know that people are being treated right!
So the chocolate is more expensive, which means I can't buy as much. What about the traditions of my friends/family/children/co-workers/neighbours/general human beings I am in contact with have?
I understand that your family tradition is to hid a bazillion chocolate eggs all around the house and do a massive hunt on Easter Sunday. Traditions can be adjusted! Instead of hiding a bazillion eggs, hide clues that lead to a basket of treats! It's still a hunt and still awesome! Maybe you could splurge and hide a bazillion fair trade eggs!
How can I explain to my youth group/family/co-workers why they aren't receiving the generic chocolate they expect and love, without making it seem like I am being a jerk?
No one wants to make someone feel bad. Explain to them that you have been learning about what happens with the production of chocolate, and that you are using your purchasing power to make a difference. We've all been the person who had no idea this was happening. Take this opportunity to share with them the excitement you have about being a conscious consumer! Maybe you'll get them in on the movement! Even kids can find a connection. Does your kid love to go to school? Does your kid love to play sports, or dance, etc. Connecting the dots of "You get to do this, but not all kids get to. Some kids have to work all day long." can make a huge impact!
RESOURCES:
Here is some information I have found to be helpful in both learning about the topic and having information to share!
My Favourite Easter Candy Doesn't Exist (one of my favourites since they broke down the only ethical alternatives to the delicious mini egg!)
Also, feel free to google "Ethical Easter Chocolate" and see what comes up! Countless articles of people expressing information on how slavery goes into our festivities is available for your viewing.
