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"Before
you've finished your breakfast this morning, you'll have relied on half the world"
-Martin Luther King
This
is an interesting thought. Fair trade is a powerful, growing movement which ensures
that producers receive fair compensation for their products. It means that workers
are paid at least that country's minimum wage and in many cases, much more to
cover basic needs such as food, shelter, health care and education for themselves
and their families. Many
times, the profits are reinvested in the community for education, health care
projects and leadership training. Cooperatives provide healthy working conditions
for the workers, thus eliminating the large manufacturing and sweatshop conditions
that have become all too familiar in poorer countries. Because
many small scale farmers and artisans are unable to qualify for affordable financing,
fair trade organizations working directly with the producers, often use pre-payment
or direct loans, allowing producers the means to cover raw materials and basic
production costs. Fair trade organizations establish long-term relationships and
avoid the middleman by working directly with the producers, thus allowing a reduction
of costs and a greater return to the producers themselves. Fair
trade business principles include:
1. Fair wages in the local context:
producers are paid fair compensation for their products.
2. Healthy and
safe working conditions: workers enjoy safe working conditions and forced
child labor is prohibited.
3. Direct trade: fair trade organizations
work directly with cooperatives, democratically-run associations and small businesses
to eliminate the middleman and allow producers to compete in the global marketplace.
4.
Environmental sustainability: fair trade organizations work with producers
to develop products based on use of their natural resources, offering communities
an reason to preserve their natural environments.
5. Financial and technical
support: fair trade organizations provide prepayment or direct loans to cover
raw materials and basic needs during production time. They also offer product
feedback and training whenever possible.
6. Public accountability: fair
trade organizations' business practices are open to the public and monitoring
by the Fair Trade Federation.
7. Consumer education: By educating consumers
about the importance of buying fairly traded products, fair trade organizations
enhance mutual cultural respect between the consumers and the communities in developing
countries. We must remember
that there are faces behind the products we use and consume on a daily basis.
We can all choose to spend our consumer dollars on fairly traded goods, thus providing
fair wages and safe employment practices to those on the other side of the globe. It
is our social responsibility to present and purchase items that are fairly traded
and are produced with sustainable use of natural resources; to ensure the preservation
of environments for generations to come. We can all do our part to make a difference
in the lives of people around the world and help them to remain true to their
cultural diversity.
Jackie
Panebaker
Soltrip Naturals
SolTrip Naturals chooses to walk softly
on the earth by promoting sustainability for both the human and natural environments.
http://www.shop.soltripnaturals.com
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