PEPPA® is a collection of handmade cuddly dolls of natural materials. The heads are stuffed with sheepwool. Sheepwool absorbs scents quite quickly. For the baby, this means that the doll will absorb scents of home, of its parents, things that are familiar for the baby. As a result, a PEPPA rag doll quickly becomes the indispensable and inseparable favourite doll.

When you buy a Peppa doll, we of course hope that you do so because you like these pretty dolls. A lot of special attention has therefore been paid to the design of the dolls and to the choice of materials.
However, there is more: Peppa dolls are manufactured in Fair Trade, i.e. produced in a way where ‘honest’ trading relations with the producers are the main issue. Fair Trade stretches far beyond for instance excluding or avoiding child labour. After all, the mere fact that children have not manufactured certain products does not automatically imply that they have been produced in humane conditions (by adults) or at fair prices.

Fair Trade generally complies with the following principles:

• The production occurs at honest wages: this means that employees and their families have to be able to provide for themselves in a normal manner, taking account of the cost of living in their country.
• The production takes place in a socially acceptable context: wages are not the only issue, but also working environment, labour conditions, working hours, etc.etc.
• The trade relation is based on collaboration, not on competition: designing models, selecting materials, planning the production,... everything occurs in transparency: the producers know what they are working on, they are familiar with the market circumstances.
• Transfer of knowledge: firstly, this is related to teaching certain techniques, but secondly it also concerns the broader context where the work takes place.
• Respecting the environment: whenever possible, use is made of natural materials, often organically grown or reared, produced in an organically sound manner (cf. used dyes, etc.).
• Financing: quite often, producers in the Third World cannot handle the purchase of sufficient or top-quality material needed for the actual production. In that case, not only the production of the actual dolls, but also the purchase of the raw materials is prefinanced.
• Transfer of production means: sewing machines, tools, etc.
• Continuity in the trade relation: this implies that no switches to another producer will take place after one or several orders, for instance for the sake of price: in other words, the producer is guaranteed of a constant work flow, and hence also has the guarantee that his investments (for instance in production means or training) will not be lost or will only be profitable for a very brief time.
• The uses of materials which are produced locally or which are available on site, with a beneficial effect for local economy.

Peppa dolls are made in two different Fair Trade organisations. One of them is located in the south of India, the other one in Bangladesh (Dhaka). Both organisations are members of the International Federation for Fair Trade (IFAT). IFAT controls whether the rules connected to being accredited with the ‘fair trade’ seal are complied with (for more information, see www.ifat.org).