Fair Trade

Fair trade is an organized movement which promotes standards for international labor, environmentalism, and social policy in areas related to production of goods. Fair Trade focuses on exports from developing countries to developed countries. The intent of sourcing from Fair Trade producers is to help them move toward security and economic self-sufficiency. Fair Trade also aims at empowering workers to become stakeholders in their own organizations. Workers receive a fair wage for their work.


Natural

Although almost every textile and personal care product listed on NouvelleVie can be considered a natural health alternative, we aim to provide products that fit into the following categories.

Items that are alternatives to conventional health products include:

• vitamins
• herbs
• natural remedies
• aromatherapy
• lifestyle products

Natural products typically consist of at least 70% natural materials or ingredients as defined by the Natural Ingredient Resource Center including plant, animal, mineral or microbial ingredients:

• present in or produced by nature
• produced using minimal physical processing which means the ingredient has had no more processing than something which could be made in a household kitchen, stillroom, on a farm, or vineyard.
• directly extracted using simple methods, simple chemical reactions or resulting from naturally occurring biological processes. Simple Extraction Methods/Simple Chemical Reactions include cleaning, cold pressing, dehydration, desiccation, drying, evaporation, filtering, grinding, infusing [water or natural alcohol], & steam or water distilling.


Natural ingredients do not...
• contain synthetic ingredients. (Produced by synthesis, a compound made artificially by chemical reactions, from simpler compounds or elements.)
• contain artificial ingredients including colors or flavoring.
• contain synthetic chemical preservatives.


Organic

Organic products are typically comprised of at least 70% organic materials and should be organically certified or processed in accordance with the Organic Trade Association definition of organic which is a system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers. Organically produced foods also must be produced without the use of antibiotics, synthetic hormones, genetic engineering and other excluded practices, sewage sludge, or irradiation. Sustainable agriculture describes the ability of a farm to produce food indefinitely, without causing irreversible damage to ecosystem health. This includes organic, bio-dynamic and wild-crafted methods.

Recycled/Upcycled

Recycled products are comprised of materials that have been extracted from the garbage or waste. They contain previously used materials that have been re-purposed for new uses.

Handmade

Handmade products have been designed and created by real live people, not machines, and may have slight variations.

Eco-Friendly

Eco-friendly products have been made in a way that brings minimal or no harm to the environment. They are typically constructed from renewable resources and offer a multitude of advantages over conventionally produced products. These products may contain one or more of the following:

• bamboo
• beeswax
• coir
• cork
• eucalyptus
• flax
• hemp
• silk
• soy
• wool