Fair Trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as social and environmental standards. It focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fresh fruit, chocolate and flowers.
Fair Trade's strategic intent is to work
with marginalized producers and
workers in order to help them move
towards economic self-sufficiency and
stability. It also aims to allow them to
become greater stakeholders in their
own organizations, as well as play a
wider role in international trade. Fair
Trade proponents include a number of international development aid, social, religious and environmental organizations such as Christian Aid, SERRV International, Oxfam, Amnesty International, Catholic Relief Services, and Caritas International.
In 2008, Fair Trade certified sales amounted to approximately US $4.08 billion (€2.9 billion) worldwide, a 22% year-to-year increase. While this represents a tiny fraction of world trade in physical merchandise, fair trade products generally account for 1-20% of all sales in their product categories in Europe and North America. In June 2008, it was estimated that over 7.5 million producers and their families were benefiting from fair trade funded infrastructure, technical assistance and community development projects.
Fair Trade Certification
The Fair Trade Certified™ label
guarantees consumers that strict
economic, social and environmental
criteria were met in the production and
trade of an agricultural product. Fair
Trade Certification is currently available
in the U.S. for coffee, tea and herbs,
cocoa and chocolate, fresh fruit, flowers, sugar, rice, and vanilla. TransFair USA licenses companies to display the Fair Trade Certified label on products that meet strict international Fair Trade standards.
Fair Trade Certification empowers farmers and farm workers to lift themselves out of poverty by investing in their farms and communities, protecting the environment, and developing the business skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace.
Fair Trade principles include:
•Fair prices: Democratically organized farmer groups receive a guaranteed minimum floor price and an additional premium for certified organic products. Farmer organizations are also eligible for pre-harvest credit.
•Fair labor conditions: Workers on Fair Trade farms enjoy freedom of association, safe working conditions, and living wages. Forced child labor is strictly prohibited.
•Direct trade: With Fair Trade, importers purchase from Fair Trade producer groups as directly as possible, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering farmers to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace.
•Democratic and transparent organizations: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers decide democratically how to invest Fair Trade revenues.
•Community development: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers invest Fair Trade premiums in social and business development projects like scholarship programs, quality improvement trainings, and organic certification.
•Environmental sustainability: Harmful agrochemicals and GMOs are strictly prohibited in favor of environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmers' health and preserve valuable ecosystems for future generations.
Fair Trade products aren't just for "latte liberals." Fair Trade promotes sustainability and stable trade in some of the poorest regions of the world. Large international corporations are able to benefit on world trade regulations which heavily favor rich nations, driving already poor producers deeper into poverty.
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For example, coffee farmers in South America or Africa are not able to negotiate crop prices against large multinational corporations, leaving them at the mercy of the global marketplace-often with devastating consequences. Fair Trade offers these farmers a guaranteed minimum price that they can count on, stabilizing the economy as well the lives of the farmers.
Because of successes as well as consumer pressure, even large corporations like Nestle, McDonalds, Costco and Sam's Club have begun to offer Fair Trade Certified products.
Fair Trade products can now be found in
most grocery stores and are usually labeled
as Fair Trade.
Of course this is just a beginning and there
is much work to do. Alternative Trade
Organizations (ATO) like Equal Exchange in
the US have decided to use certification as the ground floor for development instead of the final goal.
Fair Trade in Racine
In addition to items alvailable in our local grocery stores, here are some local outlets that specialize in Fair Trade products:
Wegman's - Look for FTC coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar
Whole Foods Market - Look for FTC coffee, tea, chocolate, wine, sugar, energy bars, body care products, flowers, rice
It Really Does Matter
You might think, "It's just a cup of coffee, it doesn't matter." It does matter. Every dollar you spend is vote. Most of us agree that buying local or buying American products is the right thing to do. Not everything we buy fits into those two categories and your consumer dollars affects the lives and economies of workers all around the world.
Make informed choices and make your dollar count. Support the people who work and make products in the best way you can. We're not saying its easy or convenient, in fact its neither. But it is worth it.
Organizations like Oxfam are working to increase awareness of unjust trade regulations.
