This
week
Dr.
Bronner's
Magic
Soap
will
be
launching
a
series
of
not
only
organic
but
also
fair
trade
soaps
which
means
both
decent
wages
and
contributing
to
the
community.
Israel's
industries
are
ignoring
the
trend,
for
the
time
being.
As
dawn
breaks
over
the
coconut
groves
in
Sri
Lanka
80
laborers
from
Dr.
Bronner's
Magic
Soap
coconut
oil
factory
go
to
work.
Before
getting
down
to
business
they
meet
in
the
dining
room
where
workers
and
managers
sit
together,
disregarding
local
customary
hierarchic
divisions.
Gero
Leson,
the
owners'
senior
representative,
also
sits
with
them.
"Not
all
of
them
eat
before
coming
to
work
and
they're
in
my
care",
explains
Leson,
who
spends
half
his
time
in
Sri
Lanka.
Putting
ideology
into
action,
he
mingles
with
the
workers
in
an
effort
to
reduce
the
social
barriers
between
management
and
workers.
"’Fair
trade’
means
not
only
a
decent
salary,
it’s
a
much
broader
commitment",
says
Leson,
in
charge
of
operating
the
Bronner
Company's
Fair
Trade
policy
in
the
Bronner’s
fair
trade
projects
around
the
world.
Fair
Trade
is
a
worldwide
trend
of
recent
years
intended
to
prevent
the
exploitation
of
Third
World
farmers
and
laborers,
and
to
ensure
the
gradual
reduction
of
the
gap
between
developed
and
developing
countries.
European
organizations,
such
as
IMO
and
FLO,
which
coordinate
the
process,
have
established
rules
of
conduct
for
companies.
Those
conforming
to
the
standards
receive
permission
to
label
their
products
as
Fair
Trade.
The
companies
involved
mobilize
world
social
processes,
distinguishing
their
products,
and
responding
to
a
growing
consumer
trend
of
buying
products
manufactured
without
exploitation.
An
eligible
recipient
of
the
Fair
Trade
seal
must
pay
fair
wages
to
all
workers
in
the
chain
of
production.
The
company
must
ensure
that
no
child
labor
is
involved
and
that
part
of
the
profits
is
dedicated
to
the
welfare
of
the
local
producing
community.
This
development
is
slowly
expanding
throughout
the
world,
although
Israel's
industries
tend
to
ignore
the
trend
of
ethical
production
supervised
by
independent,
international
organizations.
Coexistence
alongside
Fair
Trade
The
Dr.
Bronner
Company
also
prides
itself
on
using
only
organic
products.
The
work
begins
with
finding
toxic
free
land
and
continues
with
fair
wages
for
the
farmers
who
grow
the
main
raw
materials
used
in
producing
their
soap:
coconut
oil,
palm
oil,
olive
oil
and
hemp
oil.
"Fair
trade
pricing
guarantees
the
cost
of
production
is
covered,
with
an
additional
10%
to
20%
premium,
even
if
the
market
crash
below
cost
of
production",
explains
Leson.
The
company
purchases
at
world
market
prices
when
they
exceed
the
cost
of
production,
but
still
contributes
a
10%
premium
to
community
development
projects
in
the
producing
regions,
particularly
in
the
areas
of
health
and
education.
The
company's
employees
in
Sri
Lanka
include
240
farmers
who
grow
coconut
trees
on
3000
acres.
The
company
provides
subsidized,
organic
fertilizer
,
which
boosts
productivity
and
yield,
and
an
"organic"
addition
of
10%
to
pricing.
1000
tons
of
coconut
oil
go
into
a
year's
production
of
Dr.
Bronner's
Magic
Soap
and
the
remainder
is
sold
to
other
industries.
To
date,
the
company
has
invested
$2
million
in
Sri
Lanka.
"There's
something
pioneering
in
what
we're
doing",
says
Leson.
“No
other
company
has
succeeded
in
making
a
product
from
a
compound
of
organic
ingredients
throughout
the
whole
supply
chain,
and
paying
fair
prices
and
wages
to
certified
fair
trade
standards
as
well.”
Leson
adds,
"Fair
Trade
seals
are
usually
issued
for
simple
single
ingredient
commodities,
such
as
coffee
and
chocolate".
Dr.
Bronner
also
supports
projects
in
Israel
and
Palestine.
They
buy
olive
oil
from
an
entrepreneur
in
Jenin
who
employs
no
less
than
1,700
farmers;
the
Straus
family
(no
relation
to
that
of
the
dairy
producers-it
was
subsequently
revealed,
though,
that
they
are
related
to
the
Bronner
family)
who
have
an
olive
orchard
near
Yoqne'am;
and
the
organic
Kibbutz
Naot
Smadar
in
the
Arava.
The
company
purchases
about
150
tons
of
olive
oil
per
annum.
"We're
not
so
naive
as
to
think
that,
thereby,
the
Palestinian-Israeli
conflict
can
be
solved,
but
we
are
an
example
of
how
to
contribute
to
coexistence",
says
Leson.
The
company
has
a
smaller
palm
oil
project
in
Ghana.
Dr.
Bronner
is
responsible
for
200
farmers
who
cultivate
2000
acres
of
palm
trees,
and
a
factory
that
manufactures
the
oil
that
is
managed
by
local
women.
The
NGO
Fearless
Planet,
run
by
Danielle
Gold,
an
American
citizen
living
in
Ghana,
supervises
the
Fair
Trade
premiums.
In
addition
to
fair
prices
and
wages
the
farmers
and
employees
receive
organic
premiums
and
are
helped
to
improve
the
land
for
planting
new
trees.
The
Fair
Trade
premium
that
Dr.
Bronner’s
contributes
to
the
Sri
Lankan
producing
community
over
$100,000
annually.
The
palm
oil
project
in
Ghana
contributes
about
$30,000,
and
another
$100,000
is
transferred
for
the
benefit
of
the
olive
oil
producers
in
Palestine
(primarily)
as
well
as
Israel.
According
to
Leson,
the
company's
Fair
Trade
involvement
provides
income
on
fair
trade
terms
for
about
2,500
agricultural
farming
and
farm-worker
families.
In
total,
more
than
10,000
people
benefit
from
the
company's
Fair
Trade
policy.
"Not
a
negligible
amount",
says
Leson.
Pioneers
of
Liquid
Soap
Dr.
Bronner
is
a
family
business,
established
by
Emanuel
Bronner
in
1948.
The
family
began
producing
soap
in
Germany
150
years
ago.
Fifth
generation
David
Bronner,
company
president,
and
Michael
Bronner,
Dir.
Gen.
of
Sales,
claim
their
family
invented
liquid
versus
bar
soap
for
German
washrooms
in
the
late
19th
Cent.
The
Bronner
family's
soap
factory
was
confiscated
by
the
Nazis
during
WWII.
A
few
family
members
managed
to
escape
to
the
U.S.
and
Israel,
but
the
parents
were
exterminated
in
Buchenwald
and
Theriesenstadt.
"We
are
the
third
generation
of
the
company
in
its
U.S.
form
founded
by
my
grandfather,
and
the
fifth
generation
of
soap-makers
in
oru
family",
states
David.
He
explains
that
his
grandfather
was
an
ecological
pioneer:
when
everyone
else
was
producing
detergent-based
cleansers
for
the
body
and
hair
in
the
“Better
Living
through
Chemistry”
modern
era,
Dr.
Bronner
made
natural
sustainable
soaps.
Dr.
Bronner
advocated
on
behalf
of
solidarity
and
coexistence
among
all
peoples,
sentiments
which
spoke
to
the
hippy
generation
of
the
60’s
in
the
U.S.
Dr.
Bonner
enjoyed
lecturing
on
his
"philosophy
of
life",
at
the
conclusion
of
which
the
audience
would
receive
free
bottles
of
soap.
After
awhile
he
realized
that
people
were
attending
more
for
free
soap
and
not
to
hear
his
speeches.
He
therefore
decided
to
print
a
précis
of
his
thoughts
on
the
bottles'
labels,
including
his
phone
number,
should
anyone
be
interested
in
an
explicated
version.
The
mother,
Trudy,
confirms
that
people
did,
indeed,
call.
"The
soaps
are
all
natural,
biodegradable,
and
environmentally
friendly",
Michael
points
out.
"Even
the
bottles
are
made
of
100%
post-consumer-recycled
plastic".
The
company
employs
58
workers
in
California,
according
to
David.
Annual
sales
amount
to
4.5
million
bottles,
and
2.8
million
bars
of
soap.
Was
the
company
motivated
to
enter
the
Fair
Trade
market
because
of
policy
or
because
of
pragmatic
considerations;
that
the
consumer
trend
would
be
good
for
business?
David:
"We
entered
first
and
foremost
out
of
social
philosophical
considerations,
not
out
of
an
opportunity
to
make
more
money.
Of
course,
if
we
saw
that
it
would
result
in
monetary
loss,
we
wouldn't
continue
because
we're
a
profit
making
company.
We
knew
there
was
consumer
support,
but
we
weren't
sure
how
much.
In
going
Fair
Trade,
we
had
to
raise
prices
15%
which
was
a
risk
we
were
willing
to
take.
It
turned
out
to
be
a
win-win
situation,
as
our
customers
by
and
large
were
thrilled".
Leson:
"In
the
business
of
agricultural
commodities,
even
in
organic,
you
almost
always
buy
from
second
and
third-hand
brokers,
with
no
direct
connection
to
the
growers.
With
fair
trade,
you're
in
direct
contact
with
the
farms
and
farmer
that
provide
the
raw
materials;
you
can
supervise
the
quality
and
the
production
process
itself,
and
reward
farmers
and
farm-workers
without
paying
middlemen
suppliers.
There
is
therefore
a
business
advantage".
Michael:
"It's
mainly
a
philosophy
to
benefit
the
workers,
which
distinguished
the
company
even
before
it
went
Fair
Trade.
For
example,
we
have
a
rule
that
the
highest
paid
position
in
our
company
cannot
be
more
than
five
times
the
lowest.
Our
employees
receive
social
security
and
health
insurance,
including
dental
care,
with
15%
of
wages
set
aside
for
pension.
Every
year
the
employees
receive
25%
of
their
wages
as
bonus.
"The
company
contributes
at
least
30%
of
its
profits
not
invested
into
the
community.
The
distributor,
"Ecogreen"
states
that
Dr.
Bonner's
Magic
Soap’s
products
were
officially
launched
last
week
in
Israel,
after
a
successful
pilot
run
in
specialty
stores.
The
soap
will
be
sold
in
health
food
and
chain
stores,
to
be
followed
by
pharmacies.
The
End
The
Company's
Fair
Trade
Policy
provides
for
about
2500
farmer
and
farm-worker
families,
totaling
around
10,000
persons
–
each
one
benefiting
from
Fair
Trade.
"The
soaps
are
all
natural,
biodegradable,
and
environmentally
friendly",
Michael
points
out.
"Even
the
bottles
are
made
of
post-consumer
recycled
plastic".
.
