Bunyaad is the Newest Fair Trade Federation Member

We are thrilled to be approved as the newest Fair Trade Federation (FTF) member this week.

Bunyaad is the first fair trade rug business to join the FTF. The FTF is the trade association that strengthens and promotes North American organizations fully committed to fair trade. Bunyaad is proud to be included with the more than 240 FTF members who have one primary purpose: to support artisans and farmers in developing countries through the practice of fair trade. Fair trade guides each and every trading decision that FTF members make – just like Bunyaad has always operated, right from the beginning.

Thanks to stellar work by Bunyaad staffer Doug Horst, we sailed through the FTF application process and easily qualified for membership. The FTF family includes a number of other highly respected fair traders in Canada and the USA like: Ten Thousand Villages and its branded stores, SERRV, Equal Exchange and Level Ground Trading. Also, a number of fair trade retail stores that host Bunyaad rug events are individually FTF members as well, for example Just Creations in Louisville, Kentucky; The Work of Our Hands in Pella, Iowa and One World Goods in Rochester, New York.

At Bunyaad we are very much looking forward to participating in the vibrant FTF community. We are joining a community of businesses and organizations that are, just like us, fully committed to fair trade. FTF members go above and beyond to create opportunities for disadvantaged artisans and farmers around the world.

Some benefits of FTF membership that are exciting to us:

• A Mark of Trust – The FTF logo is recognized by many buyers and consumers as a trusted mark of dedication to fair trade practices. Being an FTF member will add an extra layer of trust and confidence for people who buy Bunyaad rugs.
• Business to Business Connections – By connecting with like-minded businesses, we can increase our customer base and learn from the best practices of other FTF members. Hopefully, the Bunyaad rug event network will grow within the FTF family.
• Annual Conference – FTF’s annual conference, held every spring, is the FTF flagship event, with three days of sessions focused on building fair trade businesses. Bunyaad staff members Jenni Leister, Yousaf Chaman and Doug Dirks will be attending this year’s conference in Del Mar, California (San Diego) from March 24-26. We will eagerly show off Bunyaad rugs, learn as much as we can from seminars and the experience of other FTF members and share our expertise and experience as well. Hopefully, all of this will lead to new connections and growing sales for Bunyaad.
• Increased Visibility – FTF promotes members through several annual publications, including the Holiday Gift Guide, Fall Style Guide and Retail & Cafes Brochure. We believe that FTF membership will connect us to new people and organizations which will lead to new friendships and growing sales of Bunyaad rugs.

We are proud to be recognized as a member of the FTF, a community of businesses and organizations that are fully committed to fair trade and actively follow the FTF Principles and Code of Practice each and every day.

Ultimately, we believe that FTF membership will be good for our rug artisans in Pakistan because the added level of trust, the new customer connections and the increased visibility through the FTF will lead to new and growing rug sales. This means that artisans will have more work, will earn more income, will be able to improve their living situations, will be able to afford good education for their children and will have even more hope for a better future.

So, join us in celebrating our new membership in the FTF and watch for great things from Bunyaad in future FTF news reports.

Learn more about the Fair Trade Federation below:

• Fair Trade Principles: https://www.fairtradefederation.org/fair-trade-federation-principles
• Fair Trade Code of Practice: https://www.fairtradefederation.org/fair-trade-federation-code-of-practice
• Fair Trade Federation Member List: https://www.fairtradefederation.org/findmembers