Article: Fair Trade - WiserEarth

Created: Jan 05, 2007
Updated: Jun 26, 2007

Fair Trade

Fair trade is an alternative trade system between small producers in developing nations and wholesalers in developed nations. Fair traders commit to social justice practices in which employees and farmers are treated and paid fairly, and sustainable environmental practices, and long-term trade relationships are fostered that are equitable, less exploitative, and more secure.

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Consumption and Green Consumers
Distributive and Economic Justice
Global Labor
Globalization Impacts
International Debt
Living Wages
Social Justice Education
Trade Balance
Transnational Corporations

Did You Know?

In 2005, fair trade certified sales were estimated at €1.1 billion worldwide, a 37 % year-to-year increase.[1] While this represents less than one hundredth of a percentage point of world trade in physical merchandise (WTO), fair trade products generally account for 0.5-5% of all sales in their product categories in Europe and North America. (Brussels: Fair Trade Advocacy Office). In October 2006, over 1.5 million disadvantaged producers worldwide were directly benefiting from fair trade while an additional 5 million benefited from fair trade funded infrastructure and community development projects.[2]

Discussion

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Tags/Keywords

Commodities, wholesalers, retailers, producers, fair wages, employment, economic development, farmers, exploitation, certification, ecolabeling, group negotiating power, small growers, trading partnership, social justice, long-term trade relationships, cooperative association, marginalized producers, sufficient compensation, globalization, trade justice

Featured Organizations

Fair Trade Toronto's mission is to support the overall aim of Oxfam, which works towards the eradication of world poverty and the promotion of a more just society. Promoting Fair Trade in Toronto and the environs will raise awareness among Canadians that international trade is not only about increasing corporate profits, but also about respect for workers' rights and the environment. photo source

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Fair Trade Advocacy Office FTAO coordinates the political activities of the four international Fair Trade Networks: FLO-I, IFAT, NEWS! and EFTA. These four networks bring together over than one million one million Fair Trade producers, 20 national labelling initiatives, more than 200 importers, 3000 worldshops and several thousands volunteers. photo source

Featured Resources

BUY-FAIR A Guide to Purchasing Fair Trade Products provides clear and simple advice for public authorities wishing to purchase Fair Trade products. photo source

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New Internationalist is a magazine renowned for its radical, campaigning stance on a range of world issues, from the cynical marketing of babymilk in the Majority World to human rights in Burma." photo source

Quote

"Fair Trade supports some of the most bio-diverse farming systems in the world. When you visit a Fair Trade coffee grower's fields, with the forest canopy overhead and the sound of migratory songbirds in the air, it feels like you're standing in the rainforest."

-Professor Miguel Altieri, Leading expert and author on agroecology