Sam's Club members will soon have a new choice in the wine aisle. The chain is launching their first fair trade certified wine, the charmingly titled Neu Direction. The wine is a 100 percent Malbec from the winegrowing region of Lujan de Cuyo near Mendoza, Argentina. The wine is one of the first to receive this status in the inaugural year of the groundbreaking Fair Trade Wine certification program in the U.S. Neu Direction is produced by Vina de la Solidaridad (vines of solidarity), a co-op representing 20 small farms, which grow and hand pick the grapes and Bodega Furlotti the winery, a century's old family owned business. The London Independent picked it as the best Fair Trade Certified red wine in the world in February 2008. Fair Trade Certified programs guarantee a fair price for goods and services and help to fund the development of schools, medical clinics and other basic necessities. This process is administered in the U.S. by TransFair, a non-profit organization. Neu Direction will sell for about $10 a bottle in more than 450 Sam's Club locations that are authorized to offer wine.

The world is becoming ever more conscious of fair trade goods and ethically responsible indulgences like gems and jewelry, and Monique Péan is making that effort all the more beautiful with her nature inspired designs. And not only are many of her creations beautiful and made of rare ancient ivory (the necklace pictured here is made with 12,000 year old mammoth ivory and sells for $25,000) but 50% of her C:W (Charity: Water) collection goes towards providing water and sanitation to disadvantaged people.

[via JC Report]

The Fair Trade Jewelry Conference at the JCK Jewelry Show in Las Vegas last Monday was so profound for me that it honestly has taken me over a week to process it. I was familiar with some of the issues discussed but learned a great many things about the various movements in ethical, fair trade, fair made and green jewelry and why they should matter to everyone who gives, receives and enjoys fine jewelry.

While most people have heard of the controversies regarding blood diamonds they may not have investigated the issue deeply enough to know that diamonds from Africa are not universally bad. As Russell Simmons stated in his keynote at the JCK Show, diamonds have done a lot of good in some countries. Botswana earns the bulk of its export revenue from the diamond trade. But it is important that workers receive a fair price for their labor, worker health is protected, and steps are taken to minimize the environmental havoc caused by diamond mining. Right now, the Kimberley Process exists to ensure that diamonds are conflict-free. The multi-nation agreement monitors the $38 billion in rough diamond trade. The question remains whether this collaborative organization should be doing more to protect the workers and the environment.

The conference was moderated by Martin Rapaport, the kingpin of diamonds, who is also deeply interested in fair trade and in jewelry processes that are of greatest benefit to the miners and producers. Rapaport showed a video of his trip to Sierra Leone in which he met with the diamond diggers about what they wanted. The diggers expressed frustration that they do not receive a fair price from the dealers. Even when they find a stone they know is good, a dealer will tell them it is black or cloudy and in that situation the digger has few options and has to take the price he is offered. For the people of Sierra Leone, who have no factories they can work in, and a limited tourism trade, the backbreaking work of searching for diamonds is one of the few opportunities to make any kind of money.

Fairtrade wines are becoming more and more popular, which means they're getting better and better. There are 30 Fairtrade certified wineries worldwide in South Africa, Argentina, and Chile, with the majority of their product shipping to the UK. Fairtrade wines have had a rough start as far as quality is concerned, but in recent years have been making leaps and bounds to gain a better reputation. Whether you're looking to try Fairtrade wines for the first time or are a seasoned connoisseur there are all kinds of good options out there.