Direct > Channels

THE FAIR BUTTON

VMLY&R, New York / WORLD FAIR TRADE ORGANIZATION / 2019

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Overview

Credits

OVERVIEW

Why is this work relevant for Direct?

Consumers aren’t always aware that their clothes purchases might be directly contributing to the problem of child labor. Building off this insight, the Fair Button initiative transforms an everyday item found on clothing into a walking ‘billboard’ that signals which items are Fair Trade certified.

This simple, yet direct message, turns the spotlight on to ethical brands and makes a true impact on the customer’s shopping experience.

Background

There are more than 250 million child laborers. In Brazil alone, there’s more than 2.7 million minors working between the ages of 5 and 17 (UNICEF, ‘The State of the World’s Children’).

The World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) is a global association committed to improving the livelihoods of economically marginalized producers. Partnering brands must be verified by independent audits to guarantee working conditions are being respected and child labor isn’t existent in all aspects of their supply chain.

It can be hard for consumers to recognize ethical brands amongst a highly saturated market. Taking this into consideration, we needed to find a simple way to help Fair Trade brands stand out.

The campaign had two main objectives:

1. Encourage consumers to buy from brands that are Fair Trade certified.

2. Inspire brands to become transparent and implement fair working conditions across all aspects of the business

Describe the creative idea

A universal visual identify for clothes that are Fair Trade certified. A simple smiley button helps consumers recognize brands that produce their clothes under fair working conditions and without the use of child labor.

Describe the strategy

Brazil is one of the biggest producers of clothes in Latin America. In researching the fast fashion industry in this market, it became increasingly evident that not only does child labor still exist, but it’s at a much larger scale than the average consumer could ever imagine.

Our strategy to fight child labor revolved around the following two steps.

1. Provide a visual marker that will help Fair Trade certified brands stand out in the saturated clothing market in Brazil.

2. Raise awareness among consumers of child labor in the garment industry and empower them to buy from responsible brands. ('Next time you go shopping, look for the #FairButton.')

Describe the execution

In September of 2018, World Fair Trade Organization selected brands and designers from Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Recife that had been previously inspected. They received four button models so they could use them on their designs and co-create ‘The Fair Button Collection.’

The collection launched on April 16th 2019, the International Day Against Child Slavery. It was available in store at Marco Pernambucano de Moda in Recife, Brazil and via www.fairbutton.com and featured 50 different designs from 10 different brands (Menina Dos Olhas, Artesol, Pura Mixtura, Bio Fair Trade, Viva Yemanjah, Parceria Social, Flavia Aranha, Dalla Starda, and NTCPE).

The movement extended across social media and e-commerce. Influencers drove people to our site so they could buy or donate to the cause. 20% of all earnings were donated to “Fundação Abrinq”, a nonprofit that educates dis-advantaged children in Brazil.

List the results

The Fair Button campaign earned over 85 million global impressions within days of being released. Top fashion influencers and major news networks, such as Globo, UOL, and SBT spread our message organically, and this social cause quickly evolved into household conversations.

In just 24 hours of launching the collection, 30% of the designs were out of stock, proving consumers are willing to buy ethically made clothes when pointed to the right direction.

On top of all of this, World Fair Trade Organization received 4X more requests from brands interested in becoming Fair Trade certified (compared to Q2 of 2018).

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