Our Products/Sourcing
Here at Taraluna we care about the environment, the people who create the products we sell, and how our customers feel about the items they purchase from us for their families or as gifts for others. We want you to know that our products are socially responsible, eco-friendly, organic, recycled, Fair Trade or otherwise green and good for people and planet.
We don't sell chemically infused, mass produced or sweatshop labor products. We aren't some mega corporation just looking to make a buck, we want to sell sustainable products to customers who care how their purchases were made, and know that the workers were treated fairly and with respect. We want to be your favorite place to shop for Fair Trade Gifts and organic products. We want our customers to be happy, to help create fair wage jobs, to promote everything green and to make a living. We are just trying to do the right thing and be the best we can so that we can sleep well at night and do a great job during the day. Not much, just trying to save the planet one purchase at a time, with your help we think we might just be able to do that!
We offer a wonderful selection of some of the best there in fair trade products and gifts. We mostly buy from non-profits and NGO's that work directly with artisans, producers and co-operatives. Many of our products have informational tags that tell about the producer of your purchase. All of our fair trade items come from businesses that meet the rigorous Fair Trade Federation policies and are members of the FTF, Trans Fair or employ Fair Trade practices. We are also happy to support American made, women owned businesses and artisans. All of our products meet one or more of the characteristics listed. Thank you for shopping ethically!
Fair Trade
Trade in which fair prices are paid to producers in developing countries.
- Pays fair wages within the local context.
- Offers employees opportunities to advance.
- Provides equal employment opportunities for all people.
- Engages in environmentally sustainable practices.
- Builds long-term trade relationships.
- Provides healthy and safe working conditions within the local context.
- Provides financial and technical assistance to producers wherever possible.
Green
- A supporter of a social and political movement that espouses global environmental protection, bioregionalism, social responsibility, and nonviolence.
- Beneficial to the environment: green recycling policies.
- Favoring or supporting environmentalism: green legislators who strengthened pollution controls.
Organic
- Using or produced with fertilizers of animal or vegetable matter, using no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.
- Simple, healthful, and close to nature: an organic lifestyle.
- Free from chemical injections or additives, such as antibiotics or hormones.
The following information thanks to the Organic Trade Association.
Organic products reduce public health risks to farm workers, their families, and consumers by minimizing their exposure to toxic and persistent chemicals on the farm and in food, the soil in which they work and play, the air they breathe, and the water they drink. Children are especially vulnerable to pesticides. Thus, offering organic food and fiber products into the marketplace gives parents the option of choosing products produced without the use of these toxins.
Organic refers to the way agricultural products are grown and processed. It includes a system of production, processing, distribution and sales that assures consumers that the products maintain the organic integrity that begins on the farm.
Unlike other eco-labels, only ORGANIC guarantees:
- NO toxic and synthetic pesticides or fertilizers
- NO GMO ingredients
- NO antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones
- NO artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives
- NO sewage sludge or irradiation
American Made
We want to support organic farming, and small business as well as American artists and woman owned companies. One reason we started to buy organic baby toys made in the USA was because although we have never purchased toys from China, when Mattel knew of lead in toys yet failed to disclose it to the buying public, we knew it was more important than ever to offer safe toys produced in a manner we could feel good about including in our shop. Here are some other great reasons to buy Made in the USA:
- Jobs. Not only the artists involved in making these products but their entire supply chain are based here in the USA.
- Lower Carbon Footprint. Products made here have less miles to travel.
- Less Pollution. We have strong environmental protections here regarding the manufacture of goods, which are not always present in other locations.
- Human Rights. We are very concerned about human rights and worker rights which is why we sell goods that are socially responsible (Fair Trade) or where workers have protections like right here in the USA.
- Health. The lack of environmental and safety regulations overseas doesn’t just put foreign workers at risk – it can also threaten the health of American consumers. Just another reason to support Fair Trade, American Made and Organc!
- A Stronger Economy. Buying American-made goods doesn’t just support the workers who make those goods. Its benefits also ripple out through the entire economy.