Not all trade and the environment conflicts result in protests outside the WTO. The Economist reports on one success story:
UNTIL recently, the glaze on most Mexican pottery contained lead. ... . [As a result,] products were banned from the American market, where their hand-painted beauty could fetch much higher prices than in rural Mexico, where the pots were merely a practicality.
Over the past 15 years the lead has gradually disappeared, thanks to the efforts of Fonart, a government entity that promotes handicrafts, and various NGOs. Researchers sponsored by them came up with a non-toxic, low-temperature glaze based on boron. They also encouraged potters to install fans costing just $40 in their kilns so that combustion became more efficient. Thanks to these changes, some Mexican potters who used to make less than $1,000 a year are now earning up to $40,000 by exporting to the United States and Europe, says Eric O’Leary, an American potter who has worked with Fonart.
