Following the devastating floods to hit Bangladesh, our UK partner and distributor sprung into action to help raise money for those of our employees affected by the flooding. Many people in the Nilphemari district saw their homes flooded due to the unprecedented rains. With crops, food and possessions destroyed, the kindness of others is essential and the Oasis Coffins team are grateful for all those who are giving in response to this appeal.
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jcatkinson
We are please to announce that we are now officially part of the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) #GuaranteedFairTrade family.
Having been through all the assessment requirements, we are now a Guaranteed Member and are able to use the WFTO Label along with our current accreditation with Traidcraft. Having been recognised by both of these great fair trade organisations, we are pleased our customers can have an assurance that we work hard to make sure our business makes a significant positive difference in the lives of our employees in Bangladesh.
Oasis Coffins is a proud member of the Funeral Suppliers’ Association (FSA) and is pleased to be a part of the launch of the new coffin certification scheme.
As with many trade associations, the FSA will not be known to many, although has been in existence since 1939. The aim of the Association is to ensure quality goods are produced and dependable high standards are maintained within the profession. As part of this role to champion quality, a new scheme has been developed to ensure all coffins sold by FSA members are fit for purpose and of high quality.
At a time when families are looking to celebrate a loved-one’s life, choices are important and there has been a growth in alternative coffins. Bamboo, willow, seagrass and other materials have become popular choices and with new innovations within the sector, the need for quality is important. Whilst some may like the idea of tradition, others are embracing the new options. For us as a manufacturer of alternative coffins, it is important that any questions over woven coffins are addressed. As an active and recognised fair trade business, we take our duty to care seriously and welcomed the move by the FSA to introduce rigorous tests. With the main organisations which represent crematoria on board, a system is in place to push quality forward.
Having now had all our woven coffins tested, we are proud to say they have all passed and we will shortly start stamping our coffins with the new approval mark.
For more information on FSA or to see our approval results, please visit the FSA website
Oasis Coffins has been a long-term member of the global Fair Trade community and is a WFTO Provisional Member with full membership in progress. As part of this global family we like to celebrate when a celebration is due.
On 13 February 2016, The WFTO Label was unveiled at Ambiente 2016 Trade Show in Frankfurt, Germany. The WFTO label is the first international label that guarantees Fair Trade Organisations operating in any part of the supply chain, from producers to retailers.
With this unique Fair Trade label, consumers will be able to identify products in the international marketplace that meet high economic, social and environmental sustainability criteria. Fair Trade Organisations are fully committed to sustainable production and trade.
The label is backed by a robust and credible Guarantee System. By guaranteeing the organisation as a ‘Fair Trade Organisation’, the WFTO label meets the ever-growing consumers’ demand for a more trustworthy scheme in the international market, which guarantees that products are produced and traded according to ethical and Fair Trade standards.
Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers, transparency and accountability, payment of a fair price, no child labour or forced labour, long-term trading relations, gender equity and women’s economic empowerment, freedom of association, good working conditions, capacity-building, and respect for the environment are the principles of Fair Trade that organizations should adhere to comply with the Guarantee System and use the WFTO label on their products. The label can be put on packaging or tags of handicraft and food products asan assurance that the products are produced and/or traded by guaranteed Fair Trade Organisations whose practices are checked against these 10 Fair Trade principles globally acknowledged.
“There are no international public regulations for the certification of Fair Trade products. Private entities can deliberately set up their own criteria and certify single products without considering the practices of the company that sells these products”Rudi Dalvai, President of WFTO explains.“That is why it is of utmost importance to have a label that allows consumers to clearly identify the organisations who are 100% committed to Fair Trade.”
Based on more than 50 years of experience on Fair Trade, the new WFTO label represents an important step towards the recognition that an alternative economic model, more humane and sustainable at different levels, is actually possible. By buying products carrying the new WFTO label, traders and consumers can make a concrete contribution to create a more just world, to help fight poverty, social injustice and discrimination, to support economically disadvantaged small producers, and to promote the rights of people and respect for the environment.
Today, around 50 Fair Trade Organisations are already guaranteed and can use the WFTO label. More than 200 in 70 different countries are underway.
At Oasis Coffins we already work with Traidcraft and look forward to seeing our membership progress with WFTO and joining those pioneering this new label.
For more information on fair trade, please visit
Traidcraft at http://www.traidcraft.co.uk/
WFTO at http://www.wfto.com/
Further references
10 Principles of Fair Trade
WFTO Fair Trade Standard
WFTO Guarantee System
Metamorphosis of Fair Trade
WFTO: 25 Years of Fair Trade
60 Years of Fair Trade
Fair Trade breaks the chain of poverty. Fair traders around the world, together with small producers and backed by consumers, are breaking the chains of poverty.
Fair Trade is growing and that is our proof that we are gaining our fight against extreme poverty. The WFTO membership count doubled from 155 Fair Trade organisations in 2005 to 355 in 2014. In the same period, the turnovers of these members quadrupled from 136 million euros to 448 million euros.
To ensure their way out of poverty, producer-beneficiaries of WFTO members receive fair prices for their products, long-term income security, capacity-building and life-skills trainings, no discrimination, no slavery, and good working condition.
“It is unacceptable that there are still over 1 billion people living in extreme poverty and deep deprivation. That is why at WFTO we fight poverty together with the small producers through sustainable solutions. The 10 Fair Trade Principles are our weapon. It is important that the eradication of poverty is done together with those affected. And with the support of consumers and businesses Fair Trade can go even further in its contribution to poverty eradication.” – Rudi Dalvai, WFTO President
WFTO believes that poverty can be effectively eradicated by empowering small producers, giving them fair and sustainable means of livelihoods.
“Before joining Oasis, I went through very hard times. Now I have a job with a stable income and I am able to send my children to school. Every month I am saving some amount at the bank. After being with Oasis, there is greater financial freedom and security and I am able to discuss finances with my husband.” – Shomita (not her real name), producer of Oasis Coffins
Shomita Rani, is a producer at Oasis Transformation Limited (OTL) which manufactures and supplies Oasis Coffins. OTL is a Fair Trade company located in the north-west of Bangladesh and employs local people to create beautiful hand-crafted coffins and ash-urns from sustainable raw materials – bamboo, seagrass and willow. Photo: Oasis Transformation Limited).
WFTO requires its members to comply with the 10 Fair Trade Principles through the WFTO Guarantee System, which regularly verifies organisational practices of trading organisations to ensure Fair Trade is being respected.
Products that are Guaranteed Fair Trade can be recognised by the WFTO Product Label. Products carrying the WFTO Label are made and traded by Guaranteed Fair Trade Organisations dedicated to the sustainable Fair Trade economy. Every purchase of products with the WFTO Label supports small producers and their communities.
Notes to Editors:
The World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) is a global network of organisations from over 75 countries across Africa and Middle East, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and the Pacific Rim, representing the entire Fair Trade supply chain. Membership of WFTO provides Fair Trade organisations with credibility and identity by way of an international guarantee system; a place of learning where members connect with like-minded people from around the world; tools and training to increase market access; and a common voice that speaks out loudly about Fair Trade. WFTO is the home of fair traders: producers, marketers, exporters, importers, wholesalers and retailers that demonstrate 100% commitment to Fair Trade and apply the 10 Principles of Fair Trade of WFTO in their daily operations. The works and achievements of its members make WFTO a global authority on Fair Trade and a guardian of Fair Trade values and principles.
The coming years will witness a whole variety of products carrying the WFTO Product Label, from handicrafts, to fashion, to food products.
Behind the Product Label is a revolutionary Fair Trade system – the WFTO Guarantee System. Consistent with the goal of Fair Trade, which is to enable producers to improve their livelihoods and communities through trading within agreed set of principles, WFTO’s route to equity in trade is ensuring that organisations follow the WFTO’s 10 Principles of Fair Trade.
The WFTO Guarantee System is based on time-tested best practices of Producer Group Internal Control System (ICS), Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) and WFTO membership system experience. To learn more of the WFTO Guarantee System, visit our website www.WFTO.com.
For high resolution images, interviews and other queries, please contact WFTO
Michael Sarcauga, Communications Coordinator
E: Michael@wfto.com T: +31345535914.
This is Helena’s story; she is from Bangladesh and is a staff member at Oasis Coffins with responsibility for community impact and Fair Trade. She describes what happened in the production unit the day the Nepal earthquake struck. Our facility in northern Bangladesh is 1000Km from the earthquake epicenter.
For most people living in Nepal, North India, Bangladesh, parts of Bhutan, China and Pakistan, Saturday the 25th of April, 2015 will always be a memorable day, the accounts and stories from which will be shared for weeks if not months and years to come. (more…)
At Oasis coffins we are committed to impacting communities beyond the walls of our production unit! In order to achieve this, alongside paying fair wages and giving excellent working conditions, we offer training in life-skills, leadership development and values. On 12th and 13th and February, we had our annual Oasis Coffins conference in Bangladesh with our entire team involved. We looked together at values such as “courage” and “commitment”. Our production team delivered a series of short but 
powerful dramas illustrating how working at Oasis Coffins had made a difference in their lives. These showed how employment had resulted in better diet, a stable family life, and being able to afford schooling for their children.
We are pleased to announce a new agreement with our partner NGO Supoth. Over the next 12 months they will be training our production team in financial management skills and adult education training. We are committed to improving the economic well-being of our staff, a key component of Fair Trade.
Pictured above are Allen from Supoth, with our Managing Director David How
On July 10th we were very pleased to hear that the Bangladesh Fair Trade Forum had approved our full membership application. The monsoon season has now arrived in Bangladesh, which can make everyday life, travel and work challenging for our team.
Oasis Coffins features in Traidcraft’s Newsletter “The Extra Mile”, see:
http://www.traidcraft.co.uk/publications_and_resources/traidcraft_publications/magazine
web design:
Bengal Creative Media Ltd.