Vancouver, BC-based Fairware (asi/191452) has become the latest promo distributorship to join Reciprocity Road, a collective of promotional products distributors with approximately $220 million in gross annual revenue.

The addition of Fairware extends U.S.-based Reciprocity Road’s reach into Canada. The move also brings to the collective one of the promo industry’s more unique distributorships: Fairware’s business model is rooted in ethical sourcing, corporate social responsibility and delivering sustainable products, something emphasized by a strict supplier code of conduct the firm institutes with vendors.

Fairware co-founders Denise Taschereau (CEO) and Sarah White (COO)

“This is a truly wonderful addition to our group,” Danny Rosin, co-president of Brand Fuel (asi/145025), a Reciprocity Road founding member, told Counselor. “With all of the talk about corporate social responsibility, sustainability and creating jobs that are socially useful, our collective is bound to learn and grow.”

Industry executives have consistently named sustainability as one of the most important movements poised to influence promo in 2020 and beyond. “Fairware, with its unique business model specializing in ethically sourced sustainable products to drive better consumer habits, has captured the interest of our group,” Perry Wehrle, executive director of Reciprocity Road, said in a statement.

Fairware co-founders Denise Taschereau (CEO) and Sarah White (COO) said Reciprocity Road is the right fit for their company, which also has a presence in San Francisco.

“We’re excited to join the crew at Reciprocity Road,” said Taschereau. “We’ve been approached over the years by other distributor groups, and Reciprocity Road felt best aligned with our mission and values. Reciprocity brings a sense of purpose beyond commodities and transactions, and that was a compelling differentiator.” Added White: “We’ve been impressed with the level of transparency and collaboration amongst the group. There is a strong commitment to peer-to-peer sharing and driving best practice across the partners.”

In addition to providing buying power, Reciprocity Road members collaborate on creative ideation, best practices, philanthropy and more. The nine distributorships that comprise the group are geographically diverse, with firms on the West Coast, Northeast, Southeast, Midwest and now western Canada.

Locations of Reciprocity Road distributors. Newly joined Fairware is not shown on the map.