Introduction
Need better trading standards? Want better deals that include a better price for your goods or services? How do you know what your buying is coming from properly nourished people who have a decent lifestyle like yours? Is anyone out there that makes sure the environment is protected and farmers get their rights? Maybe you are a producer from a less wealthy nation that just needs security from your buyers. The best thing to turn to for the satisfaction of your questions is to the movement of fair trade. Now what exactly is fair trade? Will it help you get the conditions you direly need?
History
Fair Trade is basically an approach to trading that id internationally recognized. As an organized social movement its focal aspiration is to facilitate producers in emergent nations. The endeavor of these organizations is to guarantee that producers from meager countries get a sagacious deal from buyers. A justice pact includes a coherent price for their goods and service, commitment from buyers, civilized working environment that will lead to a sense of security for the producers knowing that they are witnessing fair trade. The actual concept of fair trade started in the 1940’s when a few shops and church groups in the USA as well as Europeans begun to sell products made by Chinese refuges and even poverty stricken Puerto Rican communities. The focus is directed to exports from these nations in goods such as, handicrafts, fruit, cotton, sugar, tea, gold, chocolate, and coffee; being the most prominent.
Features
There are several fair trade organizations throughout the world that may cater to your individual business needs. Disadvantaged communities are taught to use the free market to their advantage. Products that bare the fair trade logo come from farmers and workers who are impartiality compensated. If you’re a farmer from a developing company; an organization like Trade USA will help create a sustainable business which optimistically sanctions your community. The whole purpose of fair trade is to ensure that the money spent on day-to-day goods by consumers improves the entire society’s day-to-day lives. Internationally, FLO (Fair-trade Labeling Organizations international) unifies separate labeling organizations to produce a network through-out the world under one coalition. Fair trade features ensure that farmers are guaranteed a fair price on their goods and even additional pricing on organically grown products. Harmful agrochemicals, genetically modified organisms are not allowed thus protecting farmers’ health and preserving a health ecosystem. It even gives the initiative of direct trade which gives greater profit to the farmer by keeping as few as middle men as possible.
Tips and comments
Try your best to become included in the fair trade system; their labeling initiatives allow for poorer producers to take a stand and earn money that is rightfully theirs. To ensure that you have the quality mark make sure that it’s FTO (Fair Trade Organization) labeled. This basically gives you the peace of mind that proper working conditions are implemented in which child labor laws, proper wages are given and that the environment is protected. If you are producers whose goods are mostly imported or buyers that import merchandise in Europe, keep a sharp eye on the EFTA (The European Fair Trade Association) as it is associated with 9 different importing companies throughout Europe.
