Pulse Legacy Archive March / April 2011 | Seite 39

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Kumani founder Stacy Fader during a trip in West Africa.

omewhere in a poverty-stricken nation, a mother
gives up her own meal to feed her impoverished
child. In war-torn countries and male-dominated
cultures, defenseless women are subjected to
every day abuse and danger. Sadly, despite the women’s
movement that brought to light women’s rights decades
ago, in many parts of the world, women remain the face of
global adversity.
And the spa industry—being a community predominantly
populated by women entrepreneurs, therapists and consumers—recognizes the plight of the less privileged through
various initiatives that specifically empower women whether
through fair trade programs that uplift women’s quality of life
through fair living wages, charities that aim to eradicate
hunger or through micro-lending which “invests in the financial independence of women, one woman at a time.”
Equality in Wages,
Equality in Life
Inequality in the global economy has
long been a standing issue within the
female workforce, with many women
paid significantly less than their men
counterparts. In fact, according to the
International Labor Organization,
“women work longer hours for less pay
and in worse jobs than men in every
country in the world.”
In many impoverished countries
though, the numbers tell the grim reality
of inequality. Roughly 70 percent of
those who live on less than $1 a day are
women and girls.
This economic vulnerability has given
the rise to movements like fair trade
which aims to ensure fair living wages to
local producers at the end of the supply
chain which often includes communities
of less privileged women.
“During my last trip to West Africa, I

visited a fair trade shea butter cooperative
to learn all about this handcrafted tradition along with the benefits these women
receive by working on a fair trade cooperative,” says Kumani founder Stacy Fader
who was inspired to embrace fair trade
practices after visiting the homes and
seeing first-hand the plight of these
female African workers.
Kumani, a skin care company that
exclusively uses shea butter produced and
harvested by West African women, is one
of those Fair Trade USA-certified brands
committed to doing business “while
making it possible for people in West
Africa to go to school, seek medical care
and protect the environment.”
“Supporting women’s causes is and
will always be the backbone of our
brand. Our decision to certify our products as fair trade came first from our
commitment to helping women and
being able to use ingredients like shea

butter, indigenous to third world countries, in a fair and conscious way,” says
Kumani President Deborah Pilla.
From a business perspective, Pilla
believes there is a strong, growing
awareness of fair trade. “Our goal is to
have Kumani on the forefront of bringing this awareness to the spa/beauty
industry.”
And Fair Trade USA, a nonprofit
third-party certifier in the U.S., confirms
that in a span of five years, the level of
consumer awareness towards fair trade
increased four-fold—from merely nine
percent in 2005 (Source: Parthenon
Group) to 34 percent in 2010 (Source:
GlobeScan). Today, more than a third of
American consumers are familiar with
and aware of the concept of fair trade.
“We are finding that the typical
Kumani customer who seeks natural,
organic, sustainable products, are also
now seeking out fair trade certified prodMarch/April 2011

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