April
5,
2010
The Nonprofit Ethicist: A Tote Bag Raises Ethical Questions
Source: The Nonprofit Quarterly
April 2, 2010 - Our organization often offers premiums and gifts for donations. The organization's programs and mission serve small farmers in Central America and encourage sustainable farming and marketing practices, so we strive to offer gifts that are Fair Trade-certified and organic. A staffer just purchased tote bags for our end-of-year premium. The tote bags, he was told, are "all natural" and eco-friendly. But in fact, the bags were made in China, with no attention to fair labor sourcing and do not come close to representing our values of environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Many of the organization's supporters are informed consumers.
