Fair trade connects producers and consumers in more equitable, more meaningful and more sustainable ways. Fair Trade is based on seven principles as quoted by the Fair Trade Federation (FTF), the largest association of fair trade organizations.
- Fair wages
Paying fair wages does not necessarily mean that products cost the consumer more. Since Fair Trade Organizations bypass exploitative middlemen and work directly with producers, they are able to cut costs and return a greater percentage of the retail price to the producers. - Cooperative workplaces
Fair Trade Organizations work primarily with small businesses, worker owned and democratically run cooperatives and associations which bring significant benefits to workers and their communities. - Consumer Education
Fair Trade Organizations educate consumers about the importance of purchasing fairly traded products which support living wages and healthy working conditions. - Environmental Sustainability
Fair Trade Organizations encourage producers to engage in environmentally friendly practices which manage and use local resources sustainably. - Financial and Technical Support
Small-scale farmers and artisans in the developing world lack access to affordable financing, impeding their profitability. FTF members that buy products directly from producers often provide financial assistance either through direct loans, prepayment or by linking producers with sources of financing. - Respect for cultural identity
Fair Trade Organizations encourage the production and development of products based on producers’ cultural traditions adapted for Western markets. - Public Accountability
FTF members’ finances, management policies, and business practices are open to the public and monitoring by the Fair Trade Federation
Fair Trade Chocolate and Cocoa: The Sweet Solution to Abusive Child Labor and Poverty
While chocolate is sweet for us, it is heartbreaking for cocoa producers and their families. In 2001, The US State Department and the ILO reported child slavery on Ivory Coast cocoa farms, the origin of 43 percent of the world’s cocoa. Subsequent research by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture indicated that though child slavery is thankfully… View ...
Famicafe is a hands on organization that invests in education, job creation and organic initiatives.
Level Ground Trading LTD is a Fair Trade Organization accredited by IFAT (International Federation for Alternative Trade) and adheres to established international fair trade standards by paying premiums which benefit the communities where the products originate. View ...
“Buying Fair Trade coffee gives people the opportunity to make a real difference in the quality of life of farmers around the world who produce the coffee that we enjoy every day,” says Deborah James, director of the Fair Trade program at Global Exchange, a San Francisco-based international human rights organization that has worked since 1988 to build support in the United States for Fair Trade. “The millions of US… View ...
THE OTHERS
The large national commercial and specialty coffee importers (corporate and store brands) pay world market pricing. So what’s wrong with that?
OUR COFFEE PROBLEM
In 1999 the World Market Price price fell below production costs of $1.26 US/pound – dropping to about 50 cents US per pound in 2002.
We complain about the price of a cup. But who speaks for the farmers who have lost over 50% of their income. And… View ...