Our Blog

5 May 2008: New Party Bag Themes

We have just launched a new range of party bag themes. They are:

Space Party Bags
Pirate Party Bags
Princess Party Bags
Hearts Party Bags
Jungle Party Bags

Of course everything is Fairly Traded. If you want a bag to put them in then simply choose one from our range of empty party bags.

28 April 2008: New Party Bag fillers

We are in the process of sourcing lots of new Party Bag fillers . These will include fillers that follow Space, Pirate, Princess and Flower themes. The first of these products are our new Fairly Traded Spinning Tops. More soon...

14 March 2008: In The News

Our Party Bags have been featured on a number of websites and newspapers in the last week or so.

Daily Telegraph - An interesting article about the growth of ethical parties.

House of Strauss - a very popular ethical website, which is well worth a visit, featured our Ethical Easter Bags.

22 February 2008: Ethical Easter Egg Bags

In preparation for Easter we have launched an ethical alternative to all those supermarket Easter Eggs. Perfect as a gift or as a party bag for both children and adults..

The beautiful papier mache decorated egg is made from recycled paper and comes in a Fairly Traded bag from India with 3 Fairtrade mini chocolate eggs.  The papier mache egg is Fairly Traded and produced by a small family unit in Kashmir , India . It is a useful source of employment in an area that used to rely heavily on tourism.

Click here to find out more and go on have an ethical easter.

21 February 2008: Fairtrade Fortnight 25 February - 9 March

Fairtrade Fortnight starts on Monday and the adverts from the supermarkets have started to appear on our TV screens and newspapers.  Here at Ethical Party Bags we like to feel that Fairtrade lasts all year with us.  This is because all our Party Bags and party bag fillers are Fairly Traded and we only use Fairtrade chocolate from Traidcraft and Divine.

What is the difference between Fairtrade and Fairly Traded?

Fairtrade is the accreditation of The Fairtrade Foundation.  This means that the Fairtrade Foundation ( read more at www.fairtrade.org.uk ) have actually certified the product. However the Fairtrade Foundation concentrates on certifying food products and textiles and so some products cannot at the moment be certified.  This means we as a retailer need to be diligent and ensure that all our products are Fairly Traded. All our producers are paid a fair price for their products and trade helps to provide a more sustainable future for them. Please read our suppliers section to find out how this works.

4 February 2008: Our New Exam Party Bags

We have recently added some new party bags. One of these is our Exam Party Bag. The party bag is made from old Indian exam papers and is made by an NGO whose main aim is to provide education and shelter for Delhi street children. They contain a recycled pad and pen, along with some Fairtrade chocolate and our Wordsearch.

The economy of India is certainly growing very fast, but at the same time the gap between the rich and the poor grows. If you can face it, have a look at Oneworld.net which has a report on India highlighting the key issues. One figure that stood out for me was that a third of the world's malnourished children live in India.

Having visted India ourselves and seen the poverty first hand it makes us even more motivated with our ethical, fairtrade sourcing. We know buying our party bags makes a difference.

31 January 2008: A Fairtrade Valentines Day

Yesterday I came across a great florist selling a range of Fairtrade roses. They come from Kenya and the producers receive a premium price for their flowers. The price per dozen is pretty good too - £14.99 for Pink or Orange and £19.50 for red. Visit Imogen Stone for all the details.

I also really like the Fairtrade chocolates at Montezumas. They have an incredible range of really ethical choccy. I particularly like the Charity Truffle Box - they are made in Sussex and two pounds from each sale will be given to the Global Fund. The money helps women and children affected by HIV and AIDS in Africa.

Must stop now as I can feel a raid on the party bags chocolate store is in order...

31 January 2008: The Green Parent Guide 2008

We are delighted to be included in this essential guide. It's a handbook for green living, jam packed with information and resources. You can order a copy from The Green Parent Magazine or pick it up at WHSmith, Waitrose or many newsagents.

30 January 2008: Ethical Party Bags Charity Event

Just before Christmas we were involved in a charity event in Morzine, France. A charity dinner was held and a whole range of our party bags and other ethical and Fairtrade gifts were sold during the event.

A share of profits from the sale of Ethical Party Bags goods and the dinner itself went to two charities. The first is in Malawi - The Medical missionaries of Mary , who work with women with AIDS and their children.

The second is called Enfants du Soleil, in India, in Andra Pradesh which supports children a particularly poor part of India. The money raised paid for the feeding of about 30 children for 6 months.

We appreciate that charity is not the answer to poverty and disease, but until world leaders really see the eradication of poverty as a top priority millions of children will continue to suffer. Better stop as I'm starting to sound a bit preachy!