In 1990, Minney moved to Tokyo with her husband where she learnt Japanese[14] before working for a publishing company, Amnesty International,[15] and the Body Shop.

[17] She began working with two students from Yokohama University, initially publishing a free leaflet that provided consumers with environmental and organic information and listings, and later also selling fair trade products.

WFTO labelling is intended to guarantees People Tree's compliance to the Principles of Fair Trade, covering fair wages, working conditions, transparency, capacity building, environmental best practice, gender equality and setting standards for conventional fashion companies to improve their supply chains.

Fair Trade producer groups in the Global South and ethical lending organisations suffered significant losses.

[citation needed] During her time at People Tree, Minney worked with many designers, celebrities and influencers, including Emma Watson,[22] Dame Zandra Rhodes,[23] and Bora Aksu.