Athleta Continues Its Mission Through Fair Trade

Athleta’s mission from day one has been to empower women and girls to achieve their limitless potential. And the women and girls who make their product are no exception.

In fact, most of the people who make Athleta products are women, which is part of what drove the company to partner with Fair Trade USA at the beginning of this year. When conversations about the partnership first began, the goal was offer around 40 Fair Trade Certified styles at Athleta. Today, Athleta announced that they’ll be creating an additional 230 Fair Trade Certified styles by the end of the year, for a total of 270 products, all with the Fair Trade Certification.

"Supporting women in their ability to come together to reach their full potential is core to our brand. Partnering with Fair Trade Certified is an important and natural step in directly enabling the women who create Athleta clothes to positively affect their communities and families,” said Nancy Green, President at Athleta.

And really, the partnership could not be better suited.

So, what is Fair Trade Certified?

Fair Trade is a thoughtful model of shopping that prioritizes people and the planet. It makes sure your everyday purchases are made according to rigorous social, environmental, and economic standards. That means ensuring that people making Fair Trade Certified goods work in safe conditions, protect the environment, build sustainable livelihoods, and earn additional money to empower and uplift their communities.

Every time a customer buys from Athleta’s Fair Trade Collection, the company pays an additional premium directly back to the people who made the tank, pant, or bra through the Community Development Fund. And one of the most incredible pieces of the Fair Trade model, is that those workers decide what to do with the money.

They can opt to channel their funding to child care centers, cooking facilities, healthcare services, scholarships for kids or even a monetary bonus - whatever the priorities for their community and its people may be. Which ultimately means that they have the opportunity to improve their standard of living on their own terms.

To put it simply, when you buy Fair Trade products, you can feel good about your purchase. Because your purchase means that you’re voting with your dollars to make a positive difference in the lives of the people that make these goods. By shopping Athleta’s Fair Trade Certified Line, customers can further Athleta’s mission and vote for a better future for women and girls across the globe.

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