Home > About Us

About Us
 
  


Our Organization
Global Exchange is an international human rights organization dedicated to promoting environmental, political and social justice. Since our founding in 1988, we have increased the US public's global awareness while building partnerships worldwide.

Through programs such as Reality Tours, Public Education, Human Rights, and Fair Trade, Global Exchange works for human rights and social and economic justice through grassroots citizen empowerment.

Visit the Global Exchange website for information on Reality Tours and our campaigns for human rights and economic justice. Please direct information requests about all these programs to the appropriate member of our staff.

Check out our Global Exchange Originals section, filled with books, videos and other resources written or produced by Global Exchange staff members. This section also includes Global Exhange t-shirts so you pick one out and proudly support the social justice movement.


Our Fair Trade Stores
Our Mission:The mission of Global Exchange's Fair Trade Program is to successfully market fairly-traded products in order to (1) increase benefits for producers and consumers through economic fairness, mutual respect, and understanding, and (2) build support for a more sustainable system of trade. We strive to pay a fair price to disadvantaged producers and to support producer-initiated efforts to improve their quality of life. In addition, we seek to increase understanding and activism of U.S. consumers about unfair trade practices and the fair trade alternative.
Global Exchange operates this Online Store and three brick and mortar stores; two in the California Bay Area and one in Portland, OR. For store locations, please visit our Contact Us section.

All of our Fair Trade Stores set an example of working responsibly with world craft producers. We generate income for thousands of artisans and their families in over 40 countries, by operating according to Fair Trade Criteria.

To learn more about the producers of the products we carry, please visit our Producer Section.

Global Exchange Fair Trade Stores feature products from around the world, with fair prices for consumers-- and fair prices paid to producers. Our San Francisco store is one of the highest grossing retail Fair Trade stores in the nation, and our Berkeley store has more than doubled since it opened in 1991. Growing at an even faster pace is the Global Exchange Online Store, one of the highest rated stores among all of Yahoo!'s 20,000+ stores online!


Producers We Work With
Global Exchange offers fairly traded crafts and food items from dozens of countries around the world. We work primarily with a network of fair trade importers who are members of the Fair Trade Federation, TransFair and other certification groups. We also purchase crafts directly from producer groups in many regions of the world. Please visit our Producer Page for information about the producers we work with.

We hope that by providing this direct link to the people and organizations that make the products we market, we will facilitate increased consumer awareness in the important role of Fair Trade in the global economy.

Please visit our Producer Section to learn about the various groups we work with.


Join Us/Get Involved
There are many ways to get involved in the Fair Trade movement. Here are some ideas, big and small, to help you become more involved in making this a better world and planet for us all.


Our Purchasing Criteria
If you're interested in selling products with Global Exchange, we choose our trading partners based on:

  • Whether or not it is a Fair Trade group, based on Fair Trade criteria
  • Whether or not we think we can sell the merchandise (based on quality, style, merchandise mix, uniqueness)

Groups who sell products to our Fair Trade Stores are either Fair Trade Federation members, Transfair certified, or carefully screened through our vendor form to ensure that they qualify as Fair Trade. Filling out a vendor form and meeting Fair Trade criteria unfortunately does not guarantee that Global Exchange will be able to enter into a business relationship with a company. Products must also be considered marketable, desirable, at the correct price and available, among other factors.

Each of our stores does their own buying independently. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis by the buyer at each individual Global Exchange store. Before we consider product(s) for our stores and begin the process of screening, we make certain the products are from:

  • A producer group that receives a fair living wage and humane, healthy working conditions.
  • A producer group with whom you have a long term, continuing business relationship.
  • Environmentally sustainable sources.

Every item we sell has been carefully selected to meet Global Exchange's high quality standards as well as stringent international Fair Trade certification criteria. If you or someone you know has a Fair Trade product that you would like to see us carry, visit our Potential Vendor Information Page to learn more about our purchasing guidelines and other useful information.


Press Room
Please visit our Press Room section for information.


Job Openings, Internships and Volunteer Opportunities

Job Openings

There are currently no Job Positions available. Please check back again for any openings in the future.

Global Exchange Online Store Internship

Do you want to break into the world of socially conscious business? Be a part of a small, close-knit, collaborative team and gain hands-on Fair Trade business experience as an intern at the Global Exchange's Fair Trade Online Store.

We're seeking individuals who:

  • Have an interest in fair trade and gaining experience in e-commerce.
  • Believe in the importance of marketing socially conscious, environmentally sustainable products.
  • Enjoy working in a retail environment (or has an interest in doing so).

If you are a hardworking, dedicated and dependable person, we invite you to apply for these great internship opportunities.

The intern will provide assistance in 3 main areas of the online store: Operations, Marketing and Product Buying.

The Online Store Intern will:

  • Assist the Marketing Manager with marketing, media relations and outreach projects.
  • Help support the Operations Manager in maintaining the Online Store's social networking profiles
  • Assist the Buyer with sourcing products
  • Update the Producer Section of our website
  • Edit content of the website
  • Help strengthen Recycled Packaging Program
  • Possibility for special projects as identified by the intern and the online store team

Skills:

  • Proficient in Microsoft Word and email.
  • Knowledge of Photoshop a plus
  • Be able to work with limited supervision

To apply: Please send resume and cover letter to Abby Edelman with Internship in the subject line.

Volunteer Opportunity
If you would like to volunteer with us at our Online Store for a day, a week, a month or even longer, we'd love to consider you. Please visit our Intern and Volunteer page for more information about our program in general, or email Zarah Patriana if you're interested in volunteering specifically with our Online Store. Don't forget to include your contact information. Thanks!


Frequently Asked Questions
Visit our the Fair Trade section of our Frequently Asked Questions page for a complete list of answers to your questions about Global Exchange.


Contact Information
Please visit our Contact Us section.


Our Recycling Program
Our Online Store makes every effort to re-use and recycle as much packing material as possible. To learn more about our efforts, visit our Recycling Program section.