Shared Earth

Shared Earth: fair trade, recycled and ethical gifts from around the world

Shared Earth operates as a retailer and wholesaler of ethical products in the United Kingdom. Its catalogue covers fashion, home and garden, cards and stationery, fragrance and lifestyle items, with a strong emphasis on fair trade crafts, recycled materials and sustainable sourcing. The company describes itself as carrying the widest selection of sustainable and recycled products in the UK, sourced from countries around the globe.

The range is organised into broad departments that include fashion, home and garden, cards and stationery, fragrance and lifestyle. Within these, the site lists specific categories such as jewellery, accessories, homeware, stationery and gift ideas, alongside seasonal and themed collections.

Product categories and ranges

The catalogue is extensive and structured around materials, themes and gift occasions. Among the recurring product groups are:

• Jewellery: bracelets and bangles, earrings, necklaces and pendants, rings, gemstone jewellery, plus jewellery stands, cabinets and boxes.
• Home fragrance: diffusers, fragrance sprays, incense, scented candles, wax melts, smudging and cleansing products, and gift sets.
• Homeware and decor: ceramic tableware, glassware, mirrors, mosaic homeware, photo frames, vases, rugs and doormats, throws and bedspreads, cushions and covers.
• Storage and organisation: baskets and buckets, bookends, decorative boxes and chests, hooks and hangers, money boxes, spectacle stands and cases.
• Hangings and ornaments: decorative hangings, dreamcatchers, glass hangings, suncatchers, windchimes and bells, animal and bird figures, Buddhist products, crystal and gemstone trees, model ornaments and orgone pyramids.
• Fashion and accessories: bags, purses and wallets, scarves and shawls, aprons, socks in bamboo and recycled cotton or polyester, hair accessories, fans and clothing items such as jackets, skirts, trousers and dresses.
• Gifts and stationery: notebooks and journals, greetings cards, gift bags and wrap, games and puzzles, finger puppets, worry dolls, stress balls, keyrings and bag charms, magnets and pencils, masks and musical toys.

Recycled and upcycled materials

A significant part of the offer is built around recycled and upcycled materials. The site groups products under headings such as recycled bike parts, recycled brass decor, recycled circuit board gifts, recycled crayon gifts, recycled glass homeware, recycled oil drum decor, recycled paper homeware, recycled plastic gifts, recycled scrap metal decor, recycled shrimp net jewellery and recycled textile gifts. Other material-led categories include bamboo, coconut, copper, cotton, grass, hemp, raffia, palm, jute, handmade paper, rice husk, driftwood, mango wood, albesia wood and sustainably sourced China fir.

The company also highlights specific product examples in its new arrivals, including soapstone cat bookends, driftwood beach house wall hooks, hand-carved owl bookends in jempinis wood, a mango wood mini storage chest, a bamboo root duck bottle holder, a mango wood cat spectacle stand, handcrafted recycled glass jugs, a recycled metal duck ornament, a tall recycled metal bird sculpture and a driftwood beach houses decoration.

Producers and fair trade sourcing

Shared Earth states that many of its products are bought from suppliers who are members of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) or who have been recommended by other WFTO members. According to the company, many of these suppliers have been set up as non-profit organisations to enable small-scale producer groups to export effectively and to help them develop products for larger markets such as the UK. Most producers are organised in family groups or co-operatives, often in rural areas or small towns.

The site gives the example of Karm Marg, a supplier in India described as a home for street children whose aim is to make them self-reliant. It is funded by upcycling paper, textiles and other scraps into bags and other products, giving the children what the company describes as a second chance.

Environmental commitments and reporting

Shared Earth states that it is committed to reducing its global emissions and acting responsibly towards the environment, and it publishes a sustainability report. The report is geared towards the wholesale company, Shared Earth UK Ltd, although the company notes that its York and Liverpool shops buy most of their products through Shared Earth UK Ltd, so most of the report applies to the shops as well. The site also lists policies on the environment, climate change, carbon neutral shipping and packaging.

Gift guidance and price bands

The online shop includes gift sections organised by recipient and interest, such as gifts for children, for him, for the chocolate lover, the cyclist, the environmentalist, the steampunk or larper or explorer, and the wildlife and nature lover. It also offers price-band navigation under £5, under £10 and under £20, as well as a sale section with reduced items and a half price or less category.

At the time of writing this profile, the catalogue listed prices in pounds sterling for individual products, including the soapstone cat bookends at £34.99, the driftwood beach house wall hooks at £19.99, the hand-carved owl bookends at £34.99, the mango wood mini storage chest at £69.99, the bamboo root duck bottle holder at £24.99, the mango wood cat spectacle stand at £20.00, the recycled glass jugs at £16.99, the recycled metal duck ornament at £16.99, the tall recycled metal bird sculpture at £29.99, the driftwood beach houses decoration at £12.99 and the albesia wood coffee black cat plaque at £4.99.

Retail and wholesale operations

The company operates both a retail business and a wholesale arm. The site distinguishes a trade telephone line from the general contact number and provides a wholesale section. It also maintains physical shops in York and Liverpool, which it describes as buying most of their products through Shared Earth UK Ltd.