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Fair Play for Pakistan

Sialkot, Pakistan—a city not many sports fans know about. Yet, 75% of the sports balls in the world come out of this one place. The Pakistanis who work in the equipment factories are notoriously overworked and underpaid while the athletes enjoy the fruit of their labor—a problem Scott James stepped in to solve when he opened Fair Trade Sports in 2006.

Previously the director of marketing for Pura Vida Coffee, Scott put his knowledge of the fair trade industry into a product that had just begun to be certified by the Fairtrade Labeling Organization (FLO)—sports equipment. A lifelong soccer player himself, he knew the sports equipment industry has been criticized many times for their sweatshop practices, human rights violations, un-safe working conditions, and even human trafficking. He sought to present a better option for athletes by providing sports equipment that was produced paying a living wage to workers (four times the average wage in Pakistan) and completed in healthy working conditions.

Scott has seen positive changes in the Pakistani communities too. He tells a story of a man named Sameena, the third oldest of eleven siblings. By working for a fair trade company, Sameena and his two older siblings are able to provide for their very large family with basic necessities. Recently, Sameena needed to have a thyroid operation. “All the medical costs were paid by the Welfare Society that our workers organized,” he says. “This is the first-ever health care program for sports ball stitchers in Sialkot, made possible by the fair trade premiums we generate.” All Fair Trade Sports’ after-tax profits also go to children’s charities in the US, such as the Boys and Girls Club and Room to Read. “The idea is to help at-risk kids both here in the states and the communities where we source our sports balls,” Scott says. 

Scott James does not want the positive change to end there. He actively encourages his customers, friends, and acquaintances to convert their campuses, churches, and businesses to fair trade sports equipment. Gaining more of a foothold in North America will not only ensure fair jobs and good working conditions to stitchers in Pakistan, but also the continued support of worthy children’s charities in North America. Fair Trade Sports strives for fair play of all the communities involved.