The Opportunity
There’s no question that there are many opportunities for us to help make the world a better place:
- At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day, and almost half — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. (Source: www.globalissues.org)
- Every year more than 10 million children die of hunger and preventable diseases — that’s over 30,000 per day and one every 3 seconds. (Source: 80 Million Lives, 2003 / Bread for the World / UNICEF / World Health Organization)
- If climate change trends continue as expected, by 2080, an additional 1.8 billion people could be living in regions where water supply is scarce, and the number of people affected by malnutrition could rise to 600 million. (Source: United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report 2007/2008)
Over the years, we have worked hard to create positive and sustainable change consistently through both our business practices and community outreach. We have seen how our research and grantmaking in supply-chain communities has increased families’ health and economic well-being. We’ve also seen how we can leverage our purchasing and partnering power with our suppliers to help improve working conditions and protect the environment. We work to provide sustainable employment and foster a dynamic, healthy, vibrant workplace. We are committed to reducing waste and using energy responsibly. And we have used our company’s strengths in product development and marketing to build demand for sustainable products.
All these activities are united by our belief that what is good for the world is good for our business. Integrating our efforts to grow our business, improve quality of life, and care for the environment infuses our work with purpose and offers us a competitive advantage. And our business success enables us to invest in a more just and sustainable future — whether through sales of Fair Trade Certified™ coffee, energy and waste reduction programs, awareness building campaigns, new product development, employee benefits, projects in supply-chain communities, volunteerism, grants, or product donations. 