The Scoop on Fair Trade

Wed, 08/22/2007 - 9:27pm by tdamji

7 Comments - 843 Views

"Before you've finished your breakfast this morning, you'll have relied on half the world"
- Martin Luther King

An interesting thought. And a depressing one, when you realise that those people you've relied on for your coffee and muesli are almost certainly being exploited and oppressed by the unfair power balance in world trade.

- from maketradefair.com

Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers - especially in the South. Fair Trade organisations (backed by consumers) are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising, and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade.

WHY FAIR TRADE??

Ever think your choice of morning coffee could influence global economics and impact the environment? It does. And that's why Ethical Bean feels so strongly about Fair Trade coffee. Kim and Lloyd (founders) lived in Central America, met the men and women who work on coffee farms and understand the effect that Fair Trade can have in their communities. And they believe that even little choices, like the type of coffee you're sipping, can ripple around the world.

The development of Fair Trade came out of an urgent need to help small-scale farmers earn a decent living for their efforts. It works in two ways. One, it sets a guaranteed minimum price for the coffee. And two, it helps eliminate the middlemen by dealing more directly with farmer-owned co-operatives.

Coffee is the world's second-largest traded commodity after oil, and the global market for coffee is extremely volatile. Over a decade ago, farmers saw prices drop 80% worldwide in less than 12 months. Over the past three years, the average price of coffee has fallen almost 50% and now rests at a near 30-year low, impacting over 25-million coffee growing families in over 50 developing countries.

Certified Fair Trade coffee guarantees farmers a minimum of $1.26 USD per pound. In August 2003, the International Coffee Organization composite indicator listed the average price for green coffee at 52 cents per pound. Beyond a better wage, communities are seeing the benefits of social programs that bring better access to education and health care. Ensuring a sustainable future for coffee farmers lies at the heart of Fair Trade. As a responsible global citizen, Ethical Bean understands that the decisions we make can change lives and build futures.

12 Easy Ways to Support Fair Trade
(via. Keetsa!)

Paul Rice who is the founder of TransFair USA, said it best in a video, when he said, that “when you support fair trade, you support hope“. Here is the list:

1. Vote - vote with your dollar, buy fair trade products
2. Ask - ask for them at your local shops, create demand
3. Host - have fair trade events to raise awareness in your local community
4. Join - online communities - like: http://www.myspace.com/fairtradecertified
5. Celebrate - every October is fair trade month
6. Learn - get educated about fair trade and its global impact
7. Donate - to transfair usa and support their mission
8. Introduce - the fair trade movement in college campuses
9. Start - get involved with a local group or start one
10. Fundraise - hold a school or church fair trade products fundraiser
11. Give - need gift-giving ideas? fair trade products make great gifts
12. Serve - fair trade coffee and tea at your next faith service

Co-op America's List of 12 ways to shop Fair Trade now:

1. Tea — One of the fastest-growing segments of the Fair Trade market, US imports of Fair Trade tea increased an impressive 187 percent in 2005. Since then, herbal tea products like chamomile, hibiscus, peppermint, and spearmint have gained Fair Trade status. Tea lovers can find teas bagged, loose, and bottled.

2. Chocolate — The average American eats 12 pounds of chocolate a year, supporting an industry that saw retail sales of more than $16 billion in 2007. If you're among the 46 percent of Amreicans who say they can't live without chocolate, you can avoid the well-documented problem of child slave labor in the cocoa industry, and direct your share of that $16 billion toward chocolate that helps communities and the environment.

3. Fresh Fruit — In Europe, where Fair Trade fruit has been available since the mid-1990s, Fair Trade bananas have reached a market share as high as 24 percent. In the US, Fair Trade tropical fruits like bananas, mangoes, and pineapples became available in 2004, and their availaibility is growing, especially in natural foods stores and food co-operatives. Find a store near you selling Fair Trade fruit by using TransFair USA's store locator.

4. Sugar — Phosphorus run-offs from the conventional sugar industry in Florida have devastaed the ecosystem of the Everglades, and the sugar lobby has worked aggressively to avoid responsibility. Sustainable alternatives to sugar like locally grown, organic maple syrup or honey can help you avoid the problems in the sugar industry, as can Fair Trade Certified™ sugar, introduced to the US in 2005.

5. Rice — While most of the white and brown rice consumed in the US was grown on US farms, most aromatic long-grain rice comes to our tables from small-scale farms in Asia where it was harvested by hand. Workers on these farms often find themselves squeezed by middle merchants and sickened by pesticides; Fair Trade rice—most of which is also organic—protects both workers and the environment.

6. Vanilla — Working with a labor-intensive crop that yields a relatively low harvest, vanilla farmers are hard-hit when their market fluctuates, as it has since environmental disasters at key procuction centers in 2000. TransFair USA began certifying vanilla in 2006, and new Fair Trade Certified™ vanilla ice cream from Ben & Jerry's arrived in supermarkets in January 2007, joining their previous Fair Trade coffee and chocolate flavors.

7. Spices — The European Fair Trade certifying body (FLO) approved standards for Fair Trade spices in 2005. In Europe, products like ginger cookies and lemongrass soap have begun to appear with Fair Trade spices among their ingedients, as hopeful sign for the future of Fair Trade spices in the US.

8. Wine — Introduced to the US market in 2007, Fair Trade wine has been produced in South Africa since 2003, and in Chile and Argentina since 2004. The South African certification process requires vineyard workers to maintain a legally protected minimum 25 percent interest in the winery, in support of the South African government's policies promoting equal land ownerships following Apartheid.

9. Olive oil — The Canaan Fair Trade Association uses the Fair Trade concept to empower marginalized Palestinian rural communities caught in conflict so they can sustain their livelihoods and culture. Farmers are guaranteed a minimum price, and receive a 10 percent Fair Trade premium above market price, plus a 10 percent organic premium above market price.

10. Sports balls — When the European Fair Trade certification body (FLO) created standards for soccer ball production in 2002, it was the first time a non-agricultural commodity had received certification. Since then, four Pakistani and one Thai producer have achieived certification, ensuring that no child labor is involved, and that workers receive a living wage in a healthy work environment.

11. Arts and crafts — Producers of unique, handmade, artisanal Fair Trade products like jewelry, baskets, textiles, and other handicrafts belong to trade associations that screen for internationally recognized Fair Trade standards. For example, our ally the Fair Trade Federation links low-income producers with consumer marketers that pledge to: pay fair wages in the local context, support participatory workplaces, ensure environmental sustainability and public accountability, and suppply financial and technical support.

12. Coffee — Available since the late 1990s, Fair Trade coffee is the most widespread and recognizable Fair Trade commodity. Currently, it is the fastest growing segment of the $11 billion US specialty coffee market, and about 85 percent of Fair Trade coffee is also organic.

Fair Trade Flash With the Facts:
Click Here