Before I address the topic from my perspective, I’d like to share some information about Good4Trust. The link https://good4trust.org/hakkimizda provides basic information about this social enterprise quite well. I’ll share it verbatim:
We are a community where producers who produce ecologically and socially fair produce come together with buyers who meet their needs to make the world, depleted by our current lifestyle, livable again.
As Good4Trust, we are a non-profit social enterprise. We protect natural and human resources that are being exploited for profit, and together we contribute to the improvement of both human and environmental health.
Local producers produce in cooperation with nature, using non-toxic, waste-free, clean energy, and fair working conditions. Buyers express their needs through their preferences and participation, participate in management, and transform the system. We are working together in the true community we long for.
To achieve true harmony in this community, we accept the universal values defined as the “golden rule.”
What is the “golden rule”?
Person or Institution;
- Treats living beings and nature as he would like to be treated,
- Does not treat living beings and nature as he would not like to be treated,
- Desires for living beings and nature what he wishes for himself,
- Understands what others want and acts accordingly.
What are the fundamental safeguards of the Golden Rule?
Trust – Believing that every action is in accordance with the Golden Rule and acting accordingly,
Transparency – Sharing information openly, the most essential element of this system,
Justice – Not harming any being and respecting all rights,
Peace – Acting with goodwill, kindness, and non-violence.
What does Good4Trust.org propose?
We believe that an economic system can be established in which people can live in a peaceful world, in harmony with nature, and socially just. To this end, Good4Trust.org advocates the creation of a new economic system comprised of ecologically and socially just producers and buyers who prioritize meeting their needs. This system is called the “Production Economy,” and the buyers within this system are called “Producers.” However, this improving and participatory system isn’t just about shopping. Producers contribute to production processes and can participate in management. As a community, producers, with their high purchasing power, can transform producers’ production processes. Furthermore, through their seven elected council members, they participate in the producers’ acceptance processes and policy-making process. This allows all stakeholders to actively participate in the true community we long for.
How does Good4Trust.org implement this?
It connects products from ecologically and socially just producers in many categories with “producers” who are aware and prioritize goodness, humanity, and nature.
Buyers, defined as “producers” in this membership-based system, ensure the cycle of this economy by purchasing goods and services they need that do not harm nature or humanity.
Meanwhile, producers within the system also purchase from each other, enabling Good4Trust.org to create a circular economy.
What kind of organization is Good4Trust.org?
The non-profit Good4Trust.org was founded in 2014 by Dr. Uygar Özesmi as a social enterprise. Its original software and membership-based economic system proposal created a world first. Its structure, which encourages the sharing of good deeds, has enabled not only shopping but also like-minded people to come together and form a community.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
- Become a member of Good4Trust and invite your friends and family to be healthy, good, and fair, and be a part of the transformation.
- Visit our Bazaar and discover the products and services produced naturally, cleanly, and fairly by producers approved by our Council of 7, comprised of expert producers in their fields, and read their inspiring stories.
- Meet social entrepreneurs who are creating solutions for a socially and ecologically just world and participate in their training.
- If you like what you read, you can shop for the products and services you need at Good4Trust.org, share the goodness you see in yourself and those around you on the platform, and contribute to the building blocks of a better world. This way, you can meet people who are like you and share your values, and you can envision a new and hopeful future.
I wanted to share a social media post that conveys the message of becoming a part of the Producing Economy, which creates an ecological economic system, instead of events like Black Friday, which are part of classic consumer culture.
I also recently came across a video that clearly explains what I mean about consumerism. I’d like to share this video on the occasion of this article:
Good4Trust.org Dictionary
Creator: A creator is someone who treats others as they would like to be treated (the golden rule), thus creating value for society and the planet through their actions. They directly support socially and ecologically just production. As a community, creators determine products, services, and their standards together with producers
Producer: Producers select raw materials, or inputs, from products that will add value to society and the planet and improve it. These producers also uphold the rights of their employees and provide a fair and equitable work environment, in accordance with the principles of Good4Trust.org ilkeler. These producers, operating individually or collectively, as private or corporate entities, are producers of other producers within their supply networks. I’d like to give you some examples of producers here to help you visualize:
Creative Economy: A creative economy is a productive economic ecosystem, like a lake or a forest, that supports and improves the planet. It is a macro-scale circular economy that has minimal negative, or if possible, positive, impacts on nature and society. In this economic system, circular supply networks minimize the leakage of incoming capital. Synergistic and circular relationships prevent waste, negative ecological impacts, and social exploitation in this ecosystem.
Council of 7: This council is elected by the most active producers within Good4Trust.org, based on the principle of rank-order equity. The council decides which producers are accepted and excluded from Good4Trust.org and determines Good4Trust.org’s general management policies. To learn more about our valued members on the Council of 7, please visit https://good4trust.org/council.
Social Enterprise: These are commercial enterprises that pursue social and ecological benefits, not profits. They reinvest more than 50% of the profits they generate from producing a product or service back into social and ecological benefits.
For more information:
- You can visit the Good4Trust.org questions section and see all the details: https://good4trust.zendesk.com/hc/tr/sections/201768169-Good4trust-org-Hakk%C4%B1nda-Merak-Ettiklerini
- You can read the Resources and Reports: https://good4trust.org/reports , and I even recommend reviewing the 2021 activity report without delay: https://good4trust.org/documents/reports/Good4Trust2021FaaliyetRaporu.pdf?utm_source=Good4Trust.org+%28tt%29&utm_campaign=dc183af90f-FAALIYET_RAPORU_2022_03_16_08_51&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1f159ad8ca-dc183af90f-60956269
- You can read Good4Trust blog posts: https://blog.good4trust.org/
Good4Trust’s Beginning and My Participation
Let’s talk about how my relationship with Good4Trust began. I met Uygar while he was managing Greenpeace in Turkey, and my friendship goes back many years. Incidentally, I was one of the first members of Greenpeace Turkey in our country. I became a member in the 1990s; I’m among the first 700. Over the years, we’ve often gotten together and brainstormed at various times. It was on one such day that Uygar approached me about the idea of Good4Trust. I remember saying, “That’s a great idea. If you can do it, it would be a great contribution to humanity.”
In the months following this conversation, Uygar contacted me again, saying everything was ready and that they were launching Good4Trust. I congratulated him as a friend. When I asked, “Is there anything I can do for you?” he said, “Actually, there is. The Council of 7 will play a key role in Good4Trust’s development. Would you like to be a part of the Council of 7?” Naturally, I wanted to discuss the details. After understanding what it meant, I said, “Wow, I’d be proud,” and accepted the position.
Good4Trust in Numbers and Concepts
Years have passed at Good4Trust, and we’ve come a long way in 7-8 years. According to current data, the support provided to 22,431 registered producers, 484 registered producers, and other valuable producers in the system exceeded 2 million TL. Of course, there are elements within the Good4Trust ecosystem that foster a positive culture, such as supporting each other, reporting good deeds, and giving donations. You can witness thousands of examples of these within the system, and this lifts morale and makes one think, “What kind-hearted people we have.” You can access Good4Trust’s current data at https://good4trust.org/press .
I just mentioned hugging each other, reporting good deeds, and giving donations. The platform also includes a section where good deeds are shared and encouraged. This way, Good4Trust encourages its followers to multiply good deeds and take responsibility.
Meanwhile, the Inclusion System developed by Good4Trust last year has made a significant difference in terms of software. With the work carried out to completely revamp the producer admission process, our software system has become more inclusive. Furthermore, three producer levels developed in accordance with the Inclusion System: “intentional,” “determined,” and “fair.” Our volunteer user experience designer, Sinem Kumdere, visualized the new visualized producer icons, and our software team implemented them. I personally know how challenging this software is. I thank everyone who contributed. Here are the three producer levels below:
International expansions and valuable additional work
There is also a significant effort to take the Good4Trust system international. This effort, which began in 2018, has now led to Good4Trust’s launch in South Africa and Chile, and plans are underway to establish the system in countries like Germany, India, and the UK.
50 people regularly donate to Good4Trust through the supporter program. This number is growing despite the economic crisis.
Good4Trust.org also supports various projects carried out by the Prosumer Economy Association, the civil society arm of its social enterprise, and other organizations working in the civil society sector and striving for a just future. For example, as part of the North Aegean Bazaar project, launched in 2019 and run by the Prosumer Economy Association, they collaborated with 30 producers from the North Aegean region, organizing workshops and events tailored to their needs. A new sales channel was created for producers in collaboration with Good4Trust.org, and the North Aegean Bazaar was opened. Promotional films were produced for the producers. The “Out of the Crisis: Prosumer Economy – North Aegean” report, which focuses on the region’s problems and economic structure, was prepared: https://turetimekonomisi.files.wordpress.com/2021/08/krizden-cikis-kuzey-ege.pdf
A significant majority of Good4Trust’s producers are women, and another significant contribution to the system has been the Women and Climate Project, or KAD.İM for short. The project produced the documentary “Kadim,” the song “I Become One with Life,” the Women and Climate Research Report, the Needs Assessment Research Report, the Fair and Good Practices Guide, the Kadim.org website, and the Solidarity Network.
Poison-Free Tables Platform and the 4th Kindness Festival
Last year, the Poison-Free Tables Platform, co-founded by the Producing Economy Association and supported by Good4Trust.org, was established. The Poison-Free Tables Platform aims to ensure that the food and non-food agricultural products that end up on our tables are accessible, healthy, and safe. The platform also includes various networks such as the Turkey Organic Network (TORA) and the Poison-Free Tables Pesticide Action Network (ZSPEA).
And of course, Good4Trust has been organizing the Kindness Festival, which I’ve been a regular for the past four years. This year’s Kindness Festival, organized in collaboration with the Şişli Municipality, took place on Saturday, 28 May, at Nişantaşı Art Park.
In the first year of the Kindness Festival, EkoRE, a company I founded, installed a solar-powered mobile phone charging system to raise awareness among festival attendees.
This year’s festival featured 44 producers from various provinces of Turkey. Eco-friendly producers showcased their products, presented various presentations, implemented projects, and conducted experiments. Panels, talks, and workshops were also held.
Let’s meet at our Bazaar and at Good4Trust
Finally, Good4Trust.org, a meeting place for producers who practice fair and eco-friendly production, along with producers who examine the origins of their products, whether they harm the environment, and prioritize using local products, brings these parties together not only online but also physically in the “Bazaar” section. Our bazaar in İzmit is a great example of this. I highly recommend you visit this bazaar.
I hope everyone will support and embrace this platform, where fair and environmentally friendly producers are supported with the dream of leaving a better world for the future, and where goodness is shared to ensure it multiplies as it is shared. Together with our wonderful young people who are part of the system, working with or supporting it, and our experienced colleagues who are dedicated to this cause, we aim to develop and grow Good4Trust. There is much work to be done to leave a more livable world for future generations. I believe Good4Trust and similar systems stand out in this regard. Then come on, we look forward to your support. You can start by joining the system: https://good4trust.org
Bonus: Below, I share an article by Good4Trust founder Uygar Özesmi, explaining in simple and clear terms what companies should and shouldn’t be:
Note: The Good4Trust model plays a crucial role in our fight against climate change. Producers are obligated to produce in a way that respects nature, and producers demand the same. Are you still among those who deny climate change (it’s hard to believe, but there are still people like that)? Then let me share with you the summary of the IPCC (International Plant Protection Convention) Report, prepared by FAO, the food and agriculture agency of the United Nations, which was shared on Good4Trust’s social media:
