
The story behind Shared Earth
FAIR TRADE SINCE 1986




SHARED EARTH
The idea for Shared Earth came when founder Jeremy Piercy left school and travelled to India. He wanted to do something to help redress the imbalance of wealth in the world and, inspired by people and crafts from different cultures, decided to set about opening a shop in the UK. Fair trade and addressing environmental problems were high on the agenda and Jeremy felt a shop would be an excellent way of making recycled and sustainable products available to help publicise the issues.
So in 1986, Jeremy opened a small shop in York stocking a wide mix of products from Asia, Africa and South America. Demand for fair trade gifts became very high so Shared Earth started introducing its own branded products for the shop and for wholesale too, initially with a range of recycled paper greetings cards designed by a local artist. Soon T-shirts, writing sets and stationery items were being produced as well as windchimes and other gifts in Bali. Shared Earth also became the distributor for an excellent fair trade organisation in the Philippines, specialising in handmade paper.
Today, Shared Earth is a leading retailer of ethical products, and carries the widest selection of sustainable and recycled products in the UK sourced from countries all around the globe - still with the same mission - to tackle the climate crisis and create a fairer, more sustainable world. The business consists of three companies: Shared Earth UK which imports and wholesales products, and two shops - the one in York and an additional shop in Liverpool which opened in 2006. As a member of BAFTS (British Association of Fair Trade Shops) and WFTO (World Fair Trade Organisation) Shared Earth UK’s performance is monitored regularly against the Ten Principles set by WFTO for fair trade organisations.
Shared Earth is one of the best known names in the Fair Trade world - founded over 30 years ago. Still as embedded to the BAFTS and WFTO Fair Trade principles today, as they were then, it's great to be able to include some of their more unusual ranges in our assortment. Truly handcrafted, they are certainly gifts that have a story to tell.
Charity
Green Tulip Founder
Great product, great service with prompt delivery! First time to green tulip and will be back.
Beautiful quality mats. Really pleased. Fast delivery as well.
I bought a selection of items - shampoo and conditioning bars, skincare, bracelet and purse - as a gift. Recipient loved every one..
Looking forward to buying some for myself!
They arrived swiftly. All ethically sourced and beautifully wrapped.
Alert me if this item is restocked.
We often restock popular items or they may be returned by the other customers. If you would like to be notified when this happens just enter your details below.
We respect your privacy and don't share your email with anybody.
Alert me if this item is restocked
Thank you, we have now received and recorded your request to be notified should be restocked.
We will only use your email for this purpose.
We have cancelled your request.