Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and environmental standards. Fairtrade works with farmers and workers so they can improve their living standards, invest in their communities and businesses, and protect the environment. Fairtrade achieves this by rallying a global community of millions – farmers and workers, supply chain partners, brands, retailers, shoppers, schools, government – to pay fair prices and uphold fair production standards and practices.
Here are some key features of fair trade:
- Higher Prices: Fair trade involves paying higher prices to producers in developing countries, which can help them achieve a sustainable livelihood.
- Social and Environmental Standards: Fair trade also involves improving social and environmental standards, such as ensuring decent working conditions and protecting the environment.
- Certification: Fairtrade certification ensures that products have met internationally agreed standards, which have been independently certified.
- Producer Representation: Producers have a strong say in Fairtrade, with 50% of the vote at the General Assembly, and farmers and workers are also consulted during the process for establishing new standards and policies.
While fair trade has been criticized by some as "marketing malarkey," claiming that while the model may have good intentions, it does not always work, it remains an important movement that can help improve the lives of farmers and workers in developing countries.
