Fair Trade Recycling Opportunities

In addition to founding and supporting WR3A, our company American Retroworks Inc. invests its own capital in creating partnerships with fair trade entrepreneurs in other lands.

- Retroworks de Mexico

- Retroworks of Malaysia

- Retroworks de Peru

- Retroworks de Benin

- Retroworks of Egypt

Some of these are not really the names of our partners, but I list them here to make the point that "micro-lending" can be middle-sized and achieve huge social, economic, and environmental dividends

Do you have a capital partner willing to raise $150,000 for the venture?  This is what we have told Peru and Benin they need to raise.   Part of the problem in Mexico is that we started with too little capital, and now we are in a bind to cover the debt payments we had to incur for legal permits, rents, etc.  

The principle behind our partnerships is that we allow fair trade of good USA repairable equipment to a facility which takes back, from inside their home country, an equal or greater amount of obsolete "e-waste".  This establishes an infrastructure in both countries.  The underlying principle is that geeks talk to geeks in the same language.  Today Malaysia is gathering monitors from Vermont, refurbishing them and selling them in Egypt;  Malaysia and Egypt in turn both take "junk" or "e-waste" or e-scrap computers back from their own communities, like Retroworks de Mexico is doing.

Fair Trade creates jobs and opportunities in other countries.  It is not about exporting hazardous wastes.  But we now know that we need to start these ventures with a "primed pump", and are looking for financing for $150k to create "Retroworks" franchises worldwide.

I remember with vivid certainty the day I decided not to stay in Peace Corps a third year.  Part of it was an opportunity to work for the Peace Corps (at USA wages), as a cross-cultural trainer for new volunteers... but it was not the pay or promotion that attracted me.  I realized that, with all due respect the Peace Corps the agency, I could accomplish as much or more good if I just returned with $15,000 - enough to buy a car in the USA.  With that much to invest, I could build hotels and schools and be a magnate in my local community.  I'd return as a businessman.   That was 25 years ago.