Annual Report El Puente 2018

Annual Report 2018

Contents Preface........................................................................................3 Sustainability at El Puente........................................................4 Annual financial statement El Puente Ltd...............................8 Fair Trade Week 2018..............................................................10 El Puente development fund...................................................12 Project Partners Committee...................................................14 Design workshop at El Puente................................................16 El Puente – A Faire Trade Wholesaler....................................17 Imprint.....................................................................................19

El Puente El Puente is one of the pioneers of the Fair Trade movement and currently works with around 140 trading partners in Africa, Asia and Latin America. With its long-standing and transparent trading partnerships, El Puente gives support to its trading partners through Fair Trade premiums for social projects. The products are sold in around 800 “world shops” (German: “Weltläden”) in Germany and Europe, as well as via our online shop. As a member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), we ensure that our work complies with the ten standards of Fair Trade. Our vision is of a fair way of dealing with one another.

Photo title page: The Quinoa farmers in the Andes have to fight strongly with climate change. Nelson Perez, a representative of Anapqui reported on the situation during “Fair Trade week”.

Preface

Dear reader, this year we have been busy with all kinds of changes. Small and big changes, necessary and feared changes. Changing our image was a mammoth project for all 60 company employees with a total of 5,000 products and diverse publications, and it will continue to occupy us throughout the coming year. During the process, we made errors and we’d like to apologise once again for this. In the end, besides all the packaging and info materials, we were able to present a new website and new online-shop.

However, big changes also occupied our trading partners, above all the extremely important topic of climate change. This summer we also noticed what numerous producers in the southern hemisphere have been fighting for a long time already. The weather is changing and the people in the so-called developing coun-

tries are already suffering extremely under the barely manageable weather conditions. The climate is a reoccurring topic throughout this brochure. In this way, we want to tell what we are doing towards climate protection.

Furthermore, in the framework of the Fair Trade Week, Nelson Perez from Anapqui went on a lecture tour and reported on climate change from the viewpoint of the quinoa farmers. Moreover the El Puente development fund supports among other things our trade partner Asha in India, which was affected by severe flooding.

Kind regards on behalf of the El Puente team, Stefan BockemĂźhl & Martin Moritz General Managers of El Puente Ltd.

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Sustainability at El Puente

CO₂ balance: Around 5.2 t CO₂ per year is saved with seemingly simple clay stoves.

Sustainability at El Puente Together with our trade partners, we would like to contribute to climate protection. To do this, we do not only support our partners in the southern hemisphere during the conversion to organic farming, through fair trade rates or through the promotion of climate protection projects, but we also pay close attention to our own environmental footprint. As of this year, the El Puente site Nordstemmen operates climate-neutrally!

Energy: El Puente operates climate-neutrally

Climate friendly: With our own photovoltaic system, rainwater usage and the solar thermal installation, El Puente is operating in an environmentally friendly manner as far as possible.

A wide range of environmental protection measures currently reduce our CO₂ release. Since the building was constructed in 2004, we have a rainwater utilisation system with a capacity of 6,000 litres: The rainwater is used for the entire company water supply (except drinking water). The photovoltaic system on the roof of the company building produces à 70 kW peak, which theoretically covers the El Puente power consumption. A solar thermal installation on the roof of the general-purpose building supports the heating system, ensures the entire warm water supply, and gives the building a passive house effect. Our LED lighting in the warehouses saves two-thirds of our

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previous energy consumption. We receive green energy from Naturstrom AG. Along with other companies, we utilise the residual heat or waste heat from the natural gas/biogas plant in the neighbouring community. These measures reduce consumption as far as possible.

Despite this, El Puente still produces unavoidable emissions. But we don’t ignore this and instead make offset payments.

Compensation for unavoidable emissions From this year onwards we are compensating for unavoidable emissions in the areas of mobility, energy, shipping and paper use. We are supporting a project by our trade partner KCU in Tanzania to cover the emissions calculated by Klima-Kollekte. Within the framework of this project, energy-efficient stoves made from clay are given to members of the coffee cooperative and their families in return for a small symbolic fee. Many households cook on open burners using firewood from the forests of Tanzania.

Not only does this lead to intense buildup of smoke in the house and regular accidents, but also requires a huge amount of firewood. The seemingly simple clay stoves change this.

Sustainability at El Puente

Recycled: Old cardboard boxes are not thrown away, but are processed into packaging material in a plant we purchased especially for this.

Energy-efficient burners for Tanzania families The use of energy-efficient clay stoves minimises the risks and the wood consumption is greatly reduced, as the burners are less open. Such a burner saves 5.2 t CO₂ per year. They are built and distributed by KCU. As an El Puente trade partner, KCU grows coffee under fair conditions and exports it. The El Puente development fund has been supporting the clay stove project since 2015. Since then, the stoves have been produced by the cooperative itself, and distributed for free to the households in the Kagera region.

multiple grooves so that the size of the package can be adjusted appropriately.

This means less packaging material is required. Depending on the weight, we have two types of adhesive tape. For light parcels, we use an adhesive tape made from paper. For heavier packages, we use PVC adhesive tape, as the paper tape is not strong enough.

We would like to protect our products perfectly and at the same time package them in an ecological manner. A huge amount of packaging can accumulate on the journey from overseas to in the shop.

We avoid unnecessary packaging wherever possible. The rest we try to design to be as sustainable as possible.

Packing material We use two types of packing material: Shredded cardboard and a light foil.

Cardboard boxes we receive from our suppliers and cannot store due to their unusual format are shredded by us and used as packing material. The foil is made from BIOPLAST 400. This is a material containing natural potato starch and other biologically-obtained polymers. The foil is free of plasticisers and 100 % biodegradable. It is certified according to EN 13432 and has received the Vinçotte seal “OK compost HOME”.

It can be simply disposed of in the domestic compost. The material degrades naturally within six months.

Cardboard boxes Our cardboard boxes are made from recycled paper. Additionally, they are optimised for shipping: They have

Why are some El Puente products packed in plastic?

The packaging should optimally protect our products during transport and stor-

Packaging: As little as possible, as much as necessary.

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Naturally: Our packaging foil is made from potato starch and is therefore 100 % biodegradable.

Sustainability at El Puente

Creative: The artisans all over the world use predominantly natural or recycled materials for their work.

age. Loss and wear should be eliminated.

For this reason, for example, craftwork is not delivered in large sacks like rice, as the risk of the products becoming damaged is too high. As we are trying to retain the added value in the country of origin as far as possible, the choice of packaging materials is often dependent on the availability in the country of origin. Plastic is often readily available and at low prices there. Wherever we can, we already avoid the use of packaging, e.g. with baskets. But sometimes it is just not possible. For example, a little soap stone heart needs a hangtag attached to it. The printed article number must be visible on the outside so that it is easy for the warehouse to check and pick. That is, as yet, only possible with plastic packaging.

We know about the ecological problems of plastic packaging, and together with our producers we are looking for a longterm solution.

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Products: Fair and sustainable Sustainable craft products A whole range of products is produced through recycling or upcycling. In this way, creative products are developed and are at the same time environmentally friendly. From bowls made from old newspapers from Vietnam, or ornamental cars fashioned from old drinking cartons from Madagascar, to used saris as book covers and recycled glass for vases from Egypt. Creativity knows no limits.

Furthermore, many artisans use natural materials, such as wood and grasses, handmade paper or sheep’s wool, to produce their goods. At the same time, we also place emphasis on the quality as much as on the sustainability. So that the wood used comes from secure sources.

Some producers grow their own trees, which they then process into their craft products. Or discarded rubber trees are ecologically processed into sustainable toys.

Sustainability at El Puente

Naturally: Around 80 % of the food products from El Puente are organically certified. As of this year, also the coffee from Kopakama in Rwanda.

Products from organic cultivation The two approaches fair and organic are often confused, but they are not the same. However, they do often go hand in hand. Therefore, at present around 80 % of our food is organically certified.

We will continue to expand on this by supporting our trade partners during the conversion to organic farming. This protects people and the environment. An example: The coffee cooperative Kopakama is organically certified as of this year.

During our visit in 2016, we initiated the organic project and we are looking forward to being able to receive the first organic container from Rwanda probably in 2019. The El Puente development fund has promoted the conversion to organic farming through grants and has provided the Cooperative with an interest-free loan to cover the incidental costs.

As well as Kopakama, Café Liberté from the Democratic Republic of Congo was also organically certified in 2018. During the phase of converting to organic

cultivation, which takes place over several years, our partners already receive markups to cover the additional expense incurred. The farmers are trained during workshops. They learn, for example, how to produce fertiliser themselves, thereby not only saving money, but also protecting their health and the environment.

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Annual financial statement

Annual financial statement El Puente Ltd. This year’s sales trend 2017/18 remained below our expectations with a minus of 6 %. In the first instance, the cause is the restructuring of our packaging and internet presence, and the associated challenges.

We approached this project of changing the packaging very optimistically and full of motivation, but then discovered with disappointment that this huge change presented challenges that we had not even considered. Our goal of a quick and smooth change to the products did not happen. The result: Many of our products were only available for delivery in limited quantities. This had a major impact on last year’s sales. We also had numerous difficulties with the conversion of our new online shop, which made using it a lot more problematic. “The difficulties were not only very nerve-wracking for our team. Naturally,

Welcome: Layla Engeln and Felix Gies are the new employees in our purchasing department.

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our customers also suffered significantly”, says Stefan Bockemühl, Managing Director of El Puente GmbH. “We would like to sincerely apologise for not being able to be the reliable partner that our customers wanted. We are all the more delighted by the loyalty shown by our customers since we have overcome the majority of the problems. Because the initial sales in the new business year are encouraging us.”

Saying Goodbye and Welcoming Colleagues Personnel Angela Lepa has been working as a purchaser for El Puente since 2002.

This year she will take her well-deserved retirement. For us, this means losing a very experienced long-term employee.

We would like to thank her for her work with us and wish her all the best for the future! The purchasing department will receive reinforcement in the form of two new employees, Felix Gies and Layla Engeln.

Annual financial statement

Share of sales revenues according to customer group (previous year’s figures in brackets) world shops and action groups (73) bulk consumers (7) Fair Trade organisations abroad (3) endconsumers (4) online portals (2) other wholesale (11)

Share of sales revenues according to product group (previous year’s figures in brackets) snacks wellness jewellery

toys and leisure

meals drinks tea coffee

textiles

living

Wholesale sales revenues (previous year’s figures in brackets) handicrafts food

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Fair Trade Week

Fair Trade Week 2018 This year’s Fair Trade Week had the motto “Gemeinsam für ein gutes Klima” (“Together for a good climate”). From 14-28 September, in total over 2,000 events focussing on climate change were held throughout Germany. Our guest and producer representative Nelson Perez from Anapqui also attempted to answer the question of how fair trade supports small farmers to overcome climate change.

Who was our guest?

It was only appropriate that Nelson Perez joined us, as the subject was climate change. He is the President of Anapqui (Asociation Nacional de Productores de Quinoa), a collective of quinoa farmers in Bolivia. In the barren area of the Altiplano, people live from farming quinoa– white, red and black quinoa has been farmed there for generations, where nothing else grows. The changing climate has had a severe impact on the quinoa harvest in recent years. At 15 events all over Germany, Nelson described the consequences of climate change for the farmers and the quinoa.

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How does climate change influence the quinoa harvests?

The consequences of the changing climate are clearly visible in Altiplano.

Nelson explained that the changes to the climate and the culture conditions have become very apparent over the last 5 years. “Above all, the unpredictability of the climate is causing us problems. There are years with heavy rain so that the fields are flooded, whereas other years are much too dry. In the last few years we have repeatedly had frost, which is unknown to us. It destroys the plants, together with large hail stones, which appear quite suddenly. The worst are the high winds and the erosion. The wind carries sand from the desert onto the fields and covers the plants. Then they burn under the hot sand.” To support the small farmers, Anapqui runs a research institute called PROQUINAT, which is primarily financed by the fair trade premiums. Here, solutions are found for the impacts of climate change.

Windbreak hedges planted between the quinoa, organic fertilisers or further training measures help the farmers to adjust to the new climate.

Fair Trade Week

Addressed: Nelson reported on the situation of the quinoa farmers in Bolivia during presentations, discussion rounds and talks.

Which events did Nelson visit in Germany?

The lecture tour lead Nelson and his travel companion Nele to locations all over Germany. They visited in total 14 towns and 15 different events. In addition to the well-attended events, it was primarily the encounters with dedicated people that impressed Nelson. All the events this year in their many formats were very well attended – be it the Carrot Mob in Berlin, the GWÖ-Salon in Hamburg, the fair breakfast in Braunschweig, the press conference in Stuttgart or the boat trip with the press in Bremen. Interested visitors were able to talk to Nelson at many of the different evening events, which included music and a buffet. Other events took place in Hildesheim and Wuppertal. Then the journey continued on to Mainz, where the event ended with a dance. In Köngen, Nelson visited a dairy farmer with whom he discussed the experiences of farmers in Germany and Bolivia. Then he moved on to Landau, Aschaffenburg and Herborn, and through to Linz. The culture conditions of quinoa were especially interesting for the audience, and whether the high demand is a problem for the local farmers. Nelson emphasised repeatedly that

quinoa is being farmed in large quantities in China and North America due to the high demand. But the “quinoa real”, the true quinoa, only comes from them.

Carrot Mobs Special highlights this year were the Carrot Mobs, which took place all over Germany. School classes and young people organised Carrot Mobs, which were designed to make people aware of climate change and to draw people into a fair trade store on a particular day during the Fair Trade Week. Part of the profit made in the shop on this day could then be used by the shop for its own climate protection measures, or invested in trade partners like Anapqui. We had the opportunity to experience one in Berlin.

The various fair trade shops invested in total € 1305.69 in Anapqui, so that an SMS system can be established with which the members can be regularly informed about the current environmental influences and adjustment measures, organic production and organic certification. Because not all the members have the opportunity to take part in all the meetings and information events. With the SMS system, it should be possible to reach everybody quickly and regularly.

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Carrot Mob: Carrot Mobs were a particular delicacy during this Fair Trade Week.

Stormed: A crowd of people stormed a company as a Carrot Mob and all the winnings from this event were donated to a good cause.

Development fund

El Puente development fund The development fund supports our trade partners in measures reaching far beyond the possibilities of fair trade and which cannot be financed alone through prefinancing, long-term collaboration and surcharge payments.

Sustainable: The development fund supports the organic certification of slippery jacks from Ecuador with a loan.

Applications for aid from the development fund can be made by all currently existing trade partners. The development fund does not only offer subsidies for projects and donations as catastrophe aid, but also interest-free loans. Here, the focus is often on the capital requirement for larger investments, when bank credit is not possible or is overly expensive. Below is a report of the supported projects in the year 2018.

Project number 2.30 and 2.30 a Trade fair visit by KTS The international consumer goods trade fair Ambiente is hugely important for making new contacts. Our trade partner KTS from Nepal received a subsidy in order to be able to take part in the trade fair. This covered the costs for the flight and accommodation, and in this way, KTS was able to make new contacts, which also turned into orders.

Subsidy 1,500 USD

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Project number 1.1c Organic certification for slippery jack The El Puente development fund supported its trade partner Pakta Mintalay from Ecuador with an interest-free loan.

Part of the organic certification of their slippery jacks was financed with this sum. Part will also be used to financially support the drying machine repair.

Interest-free loan: 2,500 USD Project number 1.25 Redevelopment after flooding for ASHA The by far worst flood catastrophe for over 100 years caused major damage throughout large areas in the region of Kerala in southern India. The monsoon rainfall was much higher than usual. Almost the entire region was flooded. Several hundred people were killed and numerous houses destroyed. Producers for our trade partner ASHA in India were also affected. Where usually around 20 artisans produce mats from coconut fibres, everything was under water. And not only were the workshops flooded, their houses were too.

Donation: 500.00 USD

Development fund

Project number 2.2 International colour charts Shawls, scarves, hats – the customer not only judges all these products by their quality, the designs also play an important role. Our trade partners always keep an eye on the current trends. With the colour charts, they have a means of transferring the trend colours of the coming season into their product lines.

Subsidy: 3,000 Euro Project number 2.26 a Design workshop See report on page 16 Subsidy: € 19,929.50 Project number 2.27 a Organic certification for Kopakama The coffee cooperative Kopakama is organically certified as of this year. During our visit in 2016, we initiated the project and we are looking forward to being able to receive the first organic container from Rwanda in 2019.

Subsidy and interest-free loan, both: 4,255 USD Project number 2.31 Schooling for children of earthquake victims, KTS Nepal The schooling of three children in Nepal can continue with the aid of a donation from the El Puente development fund.

The country was rocked by a major earthquake in 2015. The families of our trade partner KTS were also affected. As were their children – Samir Shakya, Nishwona Shakya and Praneesha Shakya. The family lost their home. The children’s schooling was guaranteed through a

KTS training programme. The money came from successful sales of Nepalese products during the Fair Trade Week 2017. Nepal received 5 % of the takings as a donation.

Subsidy: 3,000 USD Project number 2.32 Expansion of the machinery of Gospel House, Sri Lanka Currently, wood is cut by our trade partner Gospel House using simple manually-operated machinery. This requires two people. With a new laser machine, the two employees keep their jobs but are retrained in operating the laser machine. At the same time, there is the possibility of generating a lot of new jobs, as Gospel House can considerably increase its overall production volume.

Interest-free loan: 4,400 USD Project number 2.29 WFTO conference travel costs for Calypso from Chile Every year there is the conference of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), which is especially important for arts and crafts producers. Here, important discussion made by the Organization are discussed, and networking among the members takes place. This year the conference was held in New Delhi. The development fund supported Calypso from Chile with a subsidy for the travel costs.

Subsidy: 500 USD Project number 3.11.

Familiarisation trip Sri Lanka See report on page 14 Subsidy: 7,376.72 €

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Tailored: New machines should not only offer relief for the employees but also create new jobs at our partner Gospel House in Sri Lanka.

PPA

Project Partners Committee (PPA) The Project Partners Committee (PPA) is an independent committee, which controls the activities of the company – particularly new trade relations and continuance of existing ones. The PPA is made up of employees from fair trade shops and members of the El Puente Association.

Trip to Sri Lanka Five members of the PPA made the trip to gain an insight locally into the work of the trade partners. From 11 to 20 March 2018, they visited Sri Lanka. The travellers had numerous exciting encounters on the tropical island. Visits were made to the trade partners Selyn and PODIE.

How are cinnamon sticks produced?

Visited: At Podie, the members of the PPA learnt all about the organisation and its products.

During their visit to PODIE, the participants learnt about the source of spices.

El Puente and PODIE have been a trade partnership for already almost 20 years.

The most important products for the Sri Lankan partner are cinnamon, pepper, turmeric, ginger and curry mixes. Beside the warehouses, the participants learnt about farming and further processing of cinnamon. On the cinnamon fields, the trees are coppiced at a height of around

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three metres and are evergreen. The farmers showed the visitors a cinnamon tree that was already 75 years old, and could still reach 100 years of age. The tree was very low branching: This means the individual branches can be cut repeatedly for cinnamon production, and the tree continues to produce new shoots.

The production of cinnamon itself is a laborious craft. Initially, the outer bark of the cinnamon tree is scrapped off before the next layer of bark, which covers the branch, can be peeled off. We know the dried product as Ceylon cinnamon. This second layer of bark is joined in several layers to form long quills. Then the long cinnamon sticks are dried inside, on strings suspended from the ceiling. PODIE supports the spice farmers in many ways. At the same time, fair trade means much more than just paying a fair price.

Here, the farmer is supported in material terms, for example with compost additives such as bacteria for fertiliser production, or solar drying systems. PODIE offers the farmers an annual health examination in a health camp. The biggest problem is often the eyes. Therefore, 300-400 pairs of glasses were already distributed once among the farmers free of charge with external support.

PPA

Trying it out: Weaving on the huge loom is a major challenge for the uninitiated.

Where do the stuffed animals come to life?

Many El Puente craft products also come from Sri Lanka. The PPA delegation visited one of the trade partners during their trip. At Selyn they learnt a lot about the production process of the cute cuddly toys. The participants viewed the entire production chain, from dying the thread to the painstaking embroidery of the material. The weavers’ skills were particularly impressive. The looms are operated purely by hand. Women, who are new to the business, receive six months of training to learn to weave on a loom with two foot pedals. Some patterns, however, are woven with not two but four pedals, which then need to be coordinated. “The trip was very impressive for all the participants. It was great to see what fair trade can achieve locally. This look behind the scenes has made an important contribution to our future work”, says Thorsten Lampe as a summary of the trip.

Life presented their certification system and were available for questions from the members. PPA has already recognised Fair for Life as a fair trade certification since 2016.

Resolutions regarding new and existing trade partnerships Throughout the entire year, the PPA received information about trade partners, who are WFTO members or are subject to other recognised checks. Additionally, in 2018 the PPA discussed the following partners and assessed them based on the internal monitoring system (IMS): The long-term partner Biotropical in Cameroon, which is the source of a variety of dried fruits, was unanimously approved.

The extension to the trade partnership with Ecco Exe from Peru, from which El Puente receives hand-knitted finger puppets, was also unanimously approved.

Furthermore, a new trade partnership with the coffee cooperative OKU in Cameroon was concluded.

Guest speakers: Fair for Life In addition to the trip, numerous other topics and trade partners were discussed during the four sessions of the PPA in 2018. For instance, during the August session, the representatives of Fair for

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Design workshop

Design workshop at El Puente Trends play an important role, particularly in the arts and crafts area. To ensure that the products are popular, the visual components of products such as bag, scarves and ornaments are, of course, also crucial. Therefore, it is important for us that we consult with our trade partners and train them in the current trends in Europe. A key instrument in this is our design workshop.

After the first successful workshop last year, we invited the designers of our trade partners to a joint workshop in Nordstemmen in February. At the same time, the participants learn about the German market and the fair trade shops, and visit the Ambiente trade fair. Under professional guidance, the participants work on new design ideas and compare notes among themselves and with the El Puente employees. The topic of the year: Wellness. In February, ten designers and product developers from various trade partners took part in an El Puente

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design workshop. Included were trade partners from Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Nepal and Palestine. Under the professional guidance of Kees Bronk, design consultant from the Netherlands, they developed new design ideas on the topic “Wellness”. “Inviting us here and giving us the opportunity to get an impression of the fair trade shop work is a real advantage for us, enabling us to satisfy the customers’ tastes.”, says Devika Sonar, a representative of Sasha from India. El Puente has very consciously decided to train its own designers on site. An important fair trade principle is the promotion of abilities and further training. “It has become to increasingly common to simply dictate a design as the importer.

However, it is important to us that we create and retain jobs in the area of design”, explains Martin Moritz, Managing Director of El Puente GmbH. “In this way, artisans can create products in every step locally for the European market.”

EL PUENTE

El Puente – A Fair Trade Wholesaler As a 100 % fair importer, El Puente has been distributing Fair Trade food and handicrafts since the 1970s. The company is one of the pioneers in the Fair Trade movement. El Puente imports products from about 140 trading partners across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Our Fair Products: Handicrafts and Food El Puente trades in food such as coffee, tea and spices, mainly from organic farming. We are also selling a wide selection of handicraft products: from jewellery to toys and household items, to textiles and home accessories. We have around 5,000 products in our product range.

port the transition to organic farming, because both – the environment and the people – benefit from ecological agriculture.

From Nordstemmen to the World Shops From our warehouse in Nordstemmen, in Lower Saxony, Germany, we supply the world shops, specialized in Fair Trade products, and other retailers. Around 800 world shops sell our Fair Trade products in Germany and other European

Direct and Transparent Trade Partnerships El Puente works in direct and long-term trade partnerships with small-scale farmers, cooperatives and family businesses.

In order to improve working conditions for producers, the work of El Puente complies with the Fair Trade standards.

We pay fairer prices for the products to improve the living standards of people.

Sustainability is important to us: we sup-

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EL PUENTE

countries. In addition, we also supply catering establishments and wholesale customers. Retailers and end-consumers order via our online-shop: https://shop.el-puente.de/

El Puente wants Change We don’t see ourselves just as merchants.

We want to influence change on a p olitical level: we want to promote Fair Trade globally and encourage people in Europe and around the world to live up to their responsibilities. Educational activities and public relations to promote Fair Trade are an integral part of our work.

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Memberships and Networks Together we can achieve more! That is why we are actively involved in the most important Fair Trade networks, for example WFTO (World Fair Trade Organization), FFH e.V. (Fair Trade Forum Germany) and Weltladen-Dachverband e.V. (the umbrella organization of the world shops).

Imprint

Publisher: EL PUENTE GmbH Lise-Meitner-Str. 9 31171 Nordstemmen Phone: +49 (0) 5069 3478 0 Fax: +49 (0) 5069 3478 28 www.el-puente.de info@el-puente.de

Editor: Anna-Maria Ritgen, El Puente GmbH Translation: Easytrans24 Photos: El Puente, Clipdealer, Cornelia Kolbe-Bode, Johann Thaler (p. 4), Forum Fairer Handel (p. 10-11), Martin Hรถcker (p. 17), Dave Schulz (p. 18) Graphics: Stephan Eidt (p. 9) Layout: Designwerkstatt Hildesheim Subject to possible errors.

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EL PUENTE GmbH

Lise-Meitner-Str. 9 31171 Nordstemmen Phone: +49 (0) 5069 - 34 89 0 Fax: +49 (0) 5069 - 34 89 28 www.el-puente.de info@el-puente.de