Fair Trade Practices and Principles
What is Fair Trade?
Fair Trade is social justice in action! These are the principles we adhere to:
- Producers receive a fair price - a living wage in the local context. For commodities such as coffee, tea, and sugar, farmers receive a stable minimum price regardless of the price in the global market.
- We support participatory workplaces such as worker-owned cooperatives and small, democratically run producer associations. Forced labor and exploitive child labor are never allowed.
- Buyers and producers work together to form long-standing trade relationships, with buyers offering financial and technical assistance to the producers such as market information, product feedback, and training in financial management. Unlike commercial importers, Fair Trade businesses often supply pre-payment for their orders so that producers have sufficient funds to cover raw materials and basic living expenses during production time.
- We work to ensure environmental sustainability in production. Producers are encouraged to develop products based on sustainable use of their natural resources, helping them to preserve their natural environments for future generations.
- Respect for cultual identity is paramount! Fair Trade organizations seek to promote producers' artistic talents in a way that allows them to maintain their cultural traditions.
- Equal employment opportunities are provided for all. In fact, Fair Trade organizations work with many women-owned or minority-owned cooperatives in countries where these folks may not have many opportunities to make a living or support their familes.
- All aspects of production and trade are open to public accountability. Financial information, management policies, and business practices of Fair Trade organizations are open to the public and to monitoring by the Fair Trade Federation.
- Educating consumers on the principles of Fair Trade is a responsibility of all Fair Trade businesses. An educated consumer is a conscious consumer!
This is a very brief overview of these very important principles. For more information please visit the Fair Trade Federation website.
|
