Agbanga
Karité is committed to upholding fair trade
principles, including:
Social Development:
We do not hire based on age,
ethnicity, sex, color or religion. We work
to improve the positions of disadvantaged
groups, such as women and ethnic minorities.
Also, we pay our members a salary that is
30% higher than the national standard and
provide them with a pension plan, vacation,
sick and family leave, and overtime. Our members
are free to organize and are provided with
education and training on how to do this.
Our work environment is comfortable, well
ventilated and lit, with potable water provided
to all members. Finally, our revenues are
invested back into the community as educational
scholarships, ecological restoration projects,
and renewable energy programs.
Economic
Development:
Our members undergo extensive
training in all aspects of our business, including
production, marketing and management. The
purpose of this training is to enable them
to begin their own businesses in the future.
A percentage of our revenues are dedicated
to educational scholarships for local students
to study within Togo and abroad.
Environmental
Development:
We plan to switch to renewable
energy sources for all our energy needs as
our organization becomes established. These
include solar powered grinders, presses, and
office equipment. We have also converted our
diesel powered trucks to use vegetable oil,
which in our case is unmarketable shea butter.
We do not condone the use of chemicals and
actions that harm other species. We have designed
our production facilities and harvesting practicies
to minimize our impact on the natural environment.
More
information on fair trade:
Fair
Trade Federation
