We are so excited to announce the arrival of a new shipment of our re-designed Jute Totes! These bags were so popular we completely sold out our last shipment. Yay! Our high quality and ethical bags have had quite a journey. Our totes were shipped by sea from Bangladesh to reduce our carbon footprint, and arrived 6 weeks later. Then, they waited for us at the Vancouver Harbour for almost a month due to a back up at the port because of Transport Canada's investigation around the devastating fires in Lytton, BC this past summer. Last week, they were finally cleared by customs and picked up and unpacked in our retail store in Vancouver. Pictured below is our new bag wall!

Each and every one of these bags are crafted by hand and by a woman belonging to the cooperative we work with in Bangladesh.  The mission of this cooperative is to create eco-friendly products along with providing decent employment for rural women in Bangladesh.  The lives of the women belonging to this cooperative are improved through employment, literacy classes and  training on nutrition, women's legal rights and finance.  They receive fair trade wages, annual profit dividends as well as a retirement fund.

When women are empowered, their community as a whole is transformed. An increase in income means improved livelihoods through improved education, access to medicine and health care, better food and peace in households.

By purchasing with the maker and the environment in mind, we consumers have the power to contribute towards a better future with every purchase we make.

Making this extra effort to know who has made your products, and how they affect the environment, can really go a long way! We're not just making the choice to buy fair trade, we are choosing support women and their families on their path to freedom.

Marigold Collective products can be bought with the assurance that every item has been made and produced by women makers and with the environment in mind.

The Tote:

Our totes are 100% biodegradable and are extremely durable. It's leather handles fastened on with brass rivets make this bag able to easily carry up to 90 pounds. Lined with a water resistant and easy to clean interior, they are roomy and truly great carry all of your gear!

Sustainability: 

Marigold Collective Jute Tote's are handmade by a fair trade women's cooperative in Bangladesh.  These high quality totes are made from 100% locally grown and harvested Golden Jute fiber. Use of Jute allows for a low CO2 footprint as it releases of tons (literally) of Oxygen into the air.  Jute is a fast growing field crop with high carbon dioxide (CO2) assimilation rate. These plants clean the air by consuming large quantities of CO2, which is the main cause of the greenhouse effect. 

One hectare of Jute plants consume about 15 tons of CO2 from atmosphere and release approximately 11 tons of oxygen in their 100-day growing season.  

Fair Trade:

Marigold Collective is dedicated to Fair Trade and we stock our "Marigold Collective" branded products from certified fair trade artisan groups.  These producers are members of Fair Trade International (FLO), World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) and the Fair Trade Federation.  This means they are committed to providing fair living wages and a healthy working environment for all employees.  Producer wages are set well above the national minimum and all staff receive training, health care and savings plans.

Meet Mackenzie!

A huge thanks to our volunteer marketing intern, Mackenzie! 

Greeting’s supporters of fair trade! My name is Mackenzie Sharp, and I am studying Global Health at the University of California, San Diego. My interests include disease control, specifically neglected tropical diseases, and addressing international barriers to care. I am also hoping to peruse a masters in the field of global health upon my graduation this coming December. Outside of my studies I am a mixed media artist, meaning that I like to use a wide variety of materials to produce art that is interactive and tactile.

My time with the Marigold Collective granted me the unique opportunity to combine both of these interests. I had the pleasure of working alongside incredibly dedicated individuals such as Paula and Sophia and learned an immense amount of inside knowledge about the fair-trade world. Following my time here, I will allow the Marigold Collective to drive me towards enjoying a more sustainable and community-oriented future.

Event Notice: HARVST MARKT at Strange Fellows Brewing

This will be our first public event in almost 2 years and we are pretty excited about it! We have been invited by our good friends at Oh Studio Projects and Strange Fellows Brewing to participate in the Harvst Markt - lots of fun a cool things to buy because its never too early to start on Christmas!

New Product Alert: Beeswax Candles by Hives for Humanity

Hives for Humanity (H4H) is a nonprofit society founded in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2012. H4H believes in the impact of connecting people through the bees and offers a variety of programs including theraputic beekeeping and gardening, wax candle and natural self care making, woodworking with upcycled wood, and much more. 

We are excited to be carrying Hives for Humanity candles in our Vancouver Studio. 

These 100% beeswax candles can burn for approximately 14 hours and are hand-poured by the Hives for Humanity community in Vancouver, BC.

*In store only*