Fair trade is the idea that when we engage in free trade we think about the people behind the products we're buying. In the same way that organic food has gotten us to think about what is in our food, fair trade asks us to think about who makes our products. In the global supply chain, it's usually the laborers physically making the products that are paid the least. With fair trade, we make sure the producer receives a fair percentage of the total. In the end, fair trade will only work if, we as consumers, choose to purchase products made in an ethical way. We have tremendous power as consumers to shape the way the world does business. Fair trade ensures that everyone is treated with dignity and respect and that is a great investment. Watch our movie Fair Trade is You.
A Little History on a Big Idea
The fair trade movement originated in Europe over 40 years ago. The fair trade mission is to create sustainable incomes for poor and disadvantaged producers by:
providing a living wage,
maintaining stable, long-term trade agreements, and
improving working conditions through education, campaigning and creating access to outside markets.
Today, the majority of low-income producers are workers in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Unfortunately, free trade agreements such as NAFTA, APEC, and WTO do not protect workers and the environment. In India, for example, millions of people have been employed as garment workers for far-below minimum wage. This practice is tolerated, since the market for workers' traditional crafts has been all but eliminated, and their options for creating income grow increasingly limited.
Fair trade values are making their way to the US as consumers become increasingly concerned about the origin of their products. In 2000, fair trade sales in North America totaled $100 million. Today, fair trade annual sales have grown to $350 million. While gaining momentum and awareness, the demand for fair trade is still less than 1% of the total $55 billion giftware industry. Every time we choose fair trade, we choose to empower rather than exploit.
