Welcome to PlayYourPart.ca! Whether you're here from the Toronto subways or from across Canada, thanks for visiting - and for learning how actions you take can help change the world!
Find out:
Click here to find fair trade near you!
- Why fair trade is important and how it can help farmers »
- What you can do to make a difference in the lives of workers in developing countries »
- How you can make a difference in your workplace by switching to Fair Trade products »
- Who Engineers Without Borders Canada are, and why we care about Fair Trade »
Check out our latest publication - the October 2008 Fair Trade Times (PDF)
Fair Trade is a step towards ending poverty. It ensures that the money you pay for for the Fair Trade product you buy actually goes to the farmers and producers in developing countries who prepared it - instead of all ending up in the pockets of companies in between.
Products labelled Fair Trade Certified include a number of criteria aimed at benefitting workers in developing countries:
- A Fair Price
- Fair and Safe Working Conditions
- Environmental Sustainability
When you choose Fair Trade Certified products, you can be certain that the farmers who grow your coffee beans, cocoa, tea, or sugar have received a fair price for their products. For the small family farmers who grow over 50% of the world’s coffee, this can mean the difference between living in poverty and being able to send their children to school.
Certified Fair Trade Products are marked with the black-and-white Transfair Canada Logo above. TransFair Canada, in association with international labelling organizations, guarantees that products with this logo have been purchased under completely Fair Trade conditions. Fair trade products are available almost everywhere - your local coffee shop, grocery stores, and through most workplace distributors, and they often cost the same as their non-Fair Trade equivalent.
Make the choice to buy Fair Trade - and know for sure that your purchase has made a difference in the life of the farmer who grew it. More things you can do »
The choices you make can shape a better world. When you choose Fair Trade and ethically sourced products, you're directly helping the lives of the people producing those goods. Your actions also send a message to Canadian businesses working internationally - that the livelihoods of farmers and producers around the world are important. And that Canadians care.
Below is a list of actions to kick-start your commitment to making wiser decisions. We have split the actions into three progressive stages, Getting Started, Boosting your Commitment, and Development Champions. Each stage has a printable checklist to remind you of your commitments.
Find great Fair Trade locations »
- Getting Started Actions
- Purchase fair trade products
To learn about Fair Trade:
- Transfair (certifying body in Canada)
- The fair trade certification process
- Fair trade FAQs
- Fair Trade Guide
Where to purchase fair trade: - Purchase sweatshop free clothing & products
To learn more about sweatshop free clothing:
Sweat free shopping: - Ask your work about ethical RSP investment options
- Donate to organizations doing good work
- Vote
- Join Make Poverty History
- Read blogs by overseas volunteers
- Request an Engineers Without Borders Outreach presentation
- Learn about development
- When you're doing the above, try to get those around you to do it too!
- Purchase fair trade products
- Boosting Your Commitment
- Obtain a Citizens Bank of Canada Visa for Oxfam or Amnesty International
- Vote with your dollar by purchasing from companies that create good social outcomes
- Invest money ethically and help improve the profitability of companies that respect human rights
- Get involved with an organization by volunteering in Canada or overseas
- Learn how the Canadian International Development Association supports development
- Attend events organized by charity and non-government organizations
- Calendar of Development-focused Events
- Young Environmental Professionals (YEP)
- United Nations Global Compact
- Engineers Without Borders
(close)- Choose your workplace based on international development issues
- Learn about your company’s Corporate Social Responsibility policies and check to see if they walk the talk
- Find out what your company’s procurement policies are, and if they are paying a fair price for products and labour in developing countries
- Get your workplace drinking fair trade
- Use your media viewing to watch and read about poverty and success stories
- Development Champion Commitments
- Every time you purchase a piece of electronics or other foreign-manufactured product, make a point of contacting the manufacturer to ask about their overseas labour policies
- Write letters to politicians, MLAs, MPs and newspapers
- Choose a bank that supports responsible causes and sustainable practices
- Meet with your elected representatives
- Choose your work path based on international development issues
- Canadian Social Investment Database – listing of performance ratings of 300 Canadian companies
- List of companies showing corporate sustainability leadership in their sectors
- Learn about your company’s Corporate Social Responsibility policies and check to see if they walk the talk
- Find out what your company’s procurement policies are, and if they are paying a fair price for products and labour in developing countries.
- Vote with international development issues as a part of your decision
- Work with your community to become a fair trade town
- Work with your community to become No Sweat
For more information, download our new
Fair Trade Certified Workplace Guide
Interested in switching your workplace to Fair Trade Certified products? Engineers Without Borders Canada (EWB), invites you to take action. When a company decides to support Fair Trade it directly benefits producers in developing countries.
This sends a powerful message to its employees, clients and the public that it is a company that cares about more than just business as usual.Interested in the
Fair Trade Challenge?
Let us know! »The Fair Trade Challenge
Is your workplace new to Fair Trade and would like to try out Fair Trade Certified products?
When your company takes the Challenge you are pledging to:- Offer fair trade coffee in your office.
- Share information with coworkers
- Fair Trade Workplaces Starter Kit
- Free educational material on FTC coffee for you and your co-workers
- Public recognition from EWB
- A chance to win Fair Trade prizes for yourself for signing your workplace to the Challenge!
Socially Responsible InvestingQuick Facts
Perform Like Other Investments: Going ethical doesn't mean giving up on performance - based on the Jantzi Social Index ethical performance has equaled that of the S&P/TSX composite index.
Not Just The Environment: Socially Responsible Investing isn't just about the environment - issues like corporate governance and policies, arms-manufacturing and human rights are also important.
Easy To Sign Up: Switching your investments or making new ones doesn't have to be difficult. Contact a financial advisor and ask how to make the switch.
Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) is an approach to choosing your investments that includes evaluating companies on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors.
Take action now, or click the tabs above to learn more about SRI and learn how you can get involved.
Take Action Now:
- Contact a Financial Advisor to learn more or make the switch
- Contact your current Financial Advisor or Bank about Socially Responsible Investing
- Find a Financial Advisor familiar with SRI though the Social Investment Organization
- Contact The Ethical Funds Company about finding a Financial Advisor that's right for you: clientrelations@ethicalfunds.com
- Download EWB's Guide to Socially Responsible Investing
- Check to see if your current funds are ethical, or consider buying one of these funds next time you invest: globefund.com.
Disclaimer: The information provided within this website should be considered a general source of information and should not be interpreted as personal investment advice or solicitation to buy or sell any funds or other types of investments.
As one of Canada’s most respected development organisations, Engineers Without Borders (EWB) works in Canada and overseas to promote human development and end extreme poverty.
Here at home, EWB is raising awareness among Canadians about the impact of their daily actions on developing communities. We aim to make Canada a model global citizen in the fight against poverty.
Overseas, our volunteers promote human development in some of the world's most impoverished communities. They help build knowledge and capacity among local entrepreneurs and organisations so they can spread innovative and appropriate solutions to the challenges of poverty.
EWB believes that individual Canadians have a major part to play in ending extreme poverty. Through the choices we make every day, we can help people in impoverished countries improve their lives.
Choosing fair trade products is a small choice with a big impact. We encourage Canadians to try fair trade and see how choosing fair trade can feel as good as it tastes.
To receive monthly updates on EWB and learn more about what you can do to play your part, enter your email address here:
You can visit our website for more information on our work in Canada and overseas. Thanks for visiting PlayYourPart.ca!