Nagisa Mizuno
CoronaChampions is a new interview series exploring how Japanese sustainable organizations and brands are meeting the challenges from the coronavirus threat head on.
Can you please tell us about People Tree?
People Tree is a brand specialized in fair trade. It began in 1991.
In many parts of the developing world, where there is an abundance of natural resources and rich with traditional techniques, people suffer from low wages and poor working conditions. We wanted to create attractive products with those who want to get out of poverty and strive to change their lives. That is the origin of the brand.
“Putting smiles on both our producers and consumers” is what drives us to keep creating. Fashionable clothes, cute miscellaneous goods, delicious food. We are proposing a lifestyle that allows you to improve the world while enjoying your daily life.
How has the coronavirus outbreak affected People Tree?
People Tree works with partners among the economically-excluded, in Bangladesh, India and Nepal among other countries. Most of our partners cannot ship products to us or go to work because nothing is moving in their countries – and they work closely with communities most hard-hit by the knock-on effects of lockdown. At the same time, many of our customers in Japan, UK and Europe are buying less, even to support Fair Trade.
How is People Tree dealing with these problems?
Our first thought is, how can we be of service to our community – here in Japan and our producer partners in “developing” countries – and how to be ready to support producers with orders when they are able to start shipping again.
What realization do you think we have from this pandemic?
I deeply wish that the highly welcomed reevaluation of priorities which is coming through could have come without so much suffering and loss. These include reevaluation of local food security, community networks, and supporting the people who actually hold life together for us all. What we like to call “developing” countries often had highly-developed, balanced, long-lasting cultures until the “West” undermined and dismantled them. It really is time to value long-standing community and indigenous wisdom.
What do you think we can do as individuals in such trying times?
I like to ask myself, “Where can love show me the best next step?”
Visit People Tree website here (in Japanese)
