Most of us have never once wondered who sewed the pajamas we're wearing right now. I hadn't either, until I started building this brand and realized I was about to put my name on a garment and I wanted to be able to answer that question honestly. So I went looking. What I learned changed how I read every label, and I think it's worth sharing, because "fair trade" is one of those phrases that sounds reassuring whether or not anything is standing behind it.
So let's talk about it.
"Fair Trade" Gets Printed on a Lot of Labels
Here's the thing nobody tells you when you start reading clothing tags: "fair trade" on its own isn't one single, protected promise. Some brands use it loosely, the way "clean" or "natural" gets used, as a mood rather than a standard. Other brands back it with an outside organization that actually checks their work.
Those two things can look identical on a hang tag. They are not the same thing at all.
The difference comes down to one question: who verified it? If the answer is "the brand says so," that's a value statement. It might be completely sincere. But it isn't a certification. If the answer is a named, independent organization with published standards and an audit process, that's something you can actually check.
What the Real Standard Asks For
There are a few credible fair trade systems in the world, and they focus on slightly different things. Some certify a specific raw material, like a coffee bean or a bale of cotton. Others certify the whole business that makes the product.
The one MoonThreads works with on the cotton side is the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), the global membership body for fair trade enterprises. WFTO doesn't certify a single ingredient. It looks at the entire organization and holds members to ten principles. In plain terms, a WFTO-guaranteed business has to show:
- Real economic opportunity for people who've historically been shut out of it
- Transparency and accountability in how the business actually runs, not just what it says publicly
- Trading practices that put the wellbeing of the people making the product first
- Fair payment that's mutually agreed and actually livable, not just the legal minimum
- No child labor and no forced labor, full stop
- Non-discrimination, gender equity, and the right for workers to organize
- Safe, healthy working conditions that meet international labor standards
- Ongoing training and skill-building, not just a paycheck
- Honest promotion of fair trade itself, meaning brands are supposed to explain this to you, not just print a badge
- Environmental responsibility and climate action
That's the checklist. It's specific enough that a business either meets it or doesn't, which is exactly why I wanted it behind our name.
Why "Business-Level" Matters
When a certification covers the whole organization rather than one material, it means the people on the sewing floor are inside the promise, not just the fiber. A garment can be made from responsibly grown cotton and still be sewn under conditions nobody would want to see. A business-level standard closes that gap. It's the part of the supply chain that touches the most human hours, and it's the part that's easiest to skip.
How to Check a Fair Trade Claim Yourself
You don't need to become an expert in supply chains. You just need a few questions, and the willingness to notice when a brand can't answer them.
1. Look for a Name, Not Just a Phrase
"Ethically made," "fairly made," and "fair trade" with no organization attached are all value statements. A real claim usually names who stands behind it. If a brand mentions a certification, it should be able to tell you which one.
2. Ask Whether It Covers the Material or the Maker
These are different promises. A fiber certification tells you about how the material was grown or processed. A business-level certification tells you about the people who turned it into a garment. Both are good. Neither one automatically implies the other.
3. Notice How a Brand Responds When You Ask
This is the most telling one. Send a brand a polite email asking who verifies their fair trade claim. A brand with a real answer is usually happy to give it, because they worked hard for it. A brand that goes vague, changes the subject, or doesn't reply is telling you something too.
4. Don't Let One Good Claim Stand In for Another
This is the trap I see the most. A label that says "organic" can make us assume everything else about the garment is ethical as well. A label that says "fair trade" can make us assume the fabric is clean. Each claim covers exactly what it covers, and nothing more. Read them one at a time.
Where MoonThreads Stands
Our organic cotton pajama sets, arriving this November, are sewn by a WFTO-guaranteed Fair Trade manufacturer. They're made with GOTS-certified organic cotton, produced in a GOTS-certified facility. Those are three separate promises (fair trade manufacturing, organic fiber, certified facility), and I'm naming them separately on purpose so you know exactly what each one covers.
Our silk nightgowns and robes are made from 100% 6A grade mulberry silk that is OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified, meaning the fabric has been independently tested for harmful substances. The silk is not made under a fair trade certification, and I'm not going to imply it is. Different product, different certification, different promise. I'd rather tell you the real shape of it than smooth it into one tidy paragraph that sounds better than it is.
I keep the details of our individual manufacturing partners private, the same way most small brands do. But the certifications are real, and if you ever want to know which standard backs a specific claim on our label, just ask. Certificate numbers are available on request.
What Fair Trade Doesn't Promise
I want to be honest about the edges of this too, because oversimplifying it doesn't help anyone. No certification anywhere can promise that every problem in a supply chain has been solved. What a credible one does mean is that an outside body checked the standard and the business met it, and that the business agreed to stay accountable to it, not just on launch day.
What I believe, and what I'll tell you plainly: a real certification with a real audit behind it is the most honest signal we currently have, and it's more than most sleepwear on the market bothers to offer. I'm not going to tell you it makes MoonThreads perfect, because I don't think that claim exists for any clothing brand, mine included. What I can tell you is that I chose the more accountable option on purpose, and I'd rather explain exactly what that option covers than let you assume it means more than it does.
Why This Is the Kind of Thing I Care About
I started MoonThreads because I got tired of choosing between what felt good against my skin and what I could feel okay about supporting. Skincare for your body only means something if the whole chain behind it holds up, not just the fabric touching you at midnight, but the hands that made it.
And I'm not going to lecture anyone about their closet. Most of us are buying what we can afford, when we can afford it, and that's a completely reasonable way to live. This isn't about guilt. It's just that once you know what "fair trade" is actually supposed to mean, it gets a lot easier to spot who's telling you the truth and who's borrowing the phrase for the vibe.
The Short Version
"Fair trade" on a label is only as good as whoever verified it. Look for a named organization, check whether it covers the material or the maker, and pay attention to how a brand answers when you ask. Our cotton sets are sewn by a WFTO-guaranteed Fair Trade manufacturer and made with GOTS-certified organic cotton. Our silk is OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified mulberry silk. Each claim means exactly what it says, and nothing it doesn't.
By Ann Havenly
MoonThreads makes sleepwear from GOTS-certified organic cotton, sewn by a WFTO-guaranteed Fair Trade manufacturer, and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified 100% 6A grade mulberry silk. Certificate numbers available on request.