Fair Trade an age-old foundation of society. Rowntree and Cadbury These two business names you may recognise began with this ethical stance. Friends as they were then called were permitted to become wealthy provided that their riches were earned from disciplined honest work as opposed to, say, gambling they lived simply and they gave their surplus to the poor.
They not only sold goods but also campaigned for better trade practices. This was in response to the drop, in coffee prices, which severely affected the coffee farmers. The arm of Fair Trade worked with artisan producers. This organisation later becomes WFTO, as we know it today. This was to cover registered consumable goods.
Eg, coffee, tea, sugars. Chocolate, flour, bananas etc. Eg- Accessories, Jewellery, Home-wares, Linen etc. Early attempts to commercialize in Northern markets goods produced by marginalised producers were initiated by religious groups and various politically oriented non-governmental organizations NGOs.
The goods themselves had often no other function than to indicate that a donation had been made. The modern fair trade movement was shaped in Europe in the s. Fair trade during that period was often seen as a political gesture against neo-imperialism: radical student movements began targeting multinational corporations and concerns that traditional business models were fundamentally flawed started to emerge.
The global free market economic model came under attack during that period and fair trade ideals, built on a Post Keynesian economics approach to economies where price is directly linked to the actual production costs and where all producers are given fair and equal access to the markets, gained in popularity. The promotion of Fair Trade for coffee began in Holland in , with small-scale farmer cooperatives in Mexico and a Dutch NGO, Solidaridad, creating the first fair trade certification initiative.
Following suit, TransFair International, was founded in Germany in From this humble beginning, an international network of Fair Traders was born, in the hopes of raising the political and social consciousness of coffee consumers to the plight of small-scale coffee producers around the world. This umbrella organization sets the fair trade certification standards and supports, inspects, and certifies disadvantaged farmers.
Certification has expanded from coffee to include tea, sugar, cocoa, honey, bananas, fruit juices and now many more products. With the proliferation of Fair Trade initiatives, rules began to overlap and often soften in order to compete for larger market share of business from the major brands.
In an effort to complement the Fairtrade certification system and allow for example handcraft producers to also sell their products outside worldshops, the World Fair Trade Organization WFTO , formerly the International Fair Trade Association founded , launched a new Mark to identify fair trade organizations in as opposed to products in the case of Fairtrade. Called the FTO Mark, it allows consumers to recognize registered Fair Trade Organizations worldwide and guarantees that standards are being implemented regarding working conditions, wages, child labour and the environment.
The FTO Mark gave for the first time Fair Trade Organizations including handcrafts producers definable recognition amongst consumers, existing and new business partners, governments and donors. Global fair trade sales have soared over the past decade. The increase has been particularly spectacular among Fairtrade labelled goods. See more on Fairtrade labels in our article. These social, economic and environmental standards are for both companies and the farmers and workers to adhere to.
As for the farmers and workers, the standards include the likes of product quality and environmentally friendly farming practices. Fair trade, written as two words, means that something has been fairly traded, often above and beyond the minimum standards which Fairtrade sets. The Fairtrade Mark ensures that these minimum standards have been observed, which is of course a great start. Companies like Traidcraft, however, have a more nuanced view which focuses not on a set of minimum standards, but on a holistic approach to food.
We deliberately only buy food from smallholders farmers who own their own land and not from plantations which are often owned by mega-corporations. We focus on organic produce wherever possible and on good food quality. Our philosophy extends to how we treat our own staff, the rights of non-discrimination, self-organisation, for opportunities to train ourselves and for the pay gap between top and bottom to be no more than a factor of 2.
This is all embedded in what fair trade written as two words always set out to achieve. For producers, farmers, growers and artisans, fair trade offers many advantages:. Fair trade has grown enormously since its origins. Traidcraft is a member of two larger membership organisations:. We are very mindful of our heritage here at Traidcraft and being co-founders of the world fair trade movement could either mean a weight on our shoulders to uphold the original vision in all its glory, or a liberating sense of freedom to carry on breaking the normal rules of trade, whenever and wherever we can.
We prefer the latter; guarding the flames, not tending the ashes. There are many exciting ways to support the fair trade movement and get involved with Traidcraft, so why not start today? Firstly, you may be looking to buy fair trade products for your school, church, workplace, shop or stall, or you may be hoping to participate in fundraising.
Alternatively, you can support fair trade by getting involved in many events throughout the year, including Fairtrade Fortnight , and you require fair trade resources. If you have a question about anything regarding fair trade, such as:. Home What is Fair Trade. What is Fair Trade? The Definition of Fair Trade Fair trade, defined simply, is when products including food, drink and craft, are sourced through a fair supply chain, where small-scale farmers, producers and artisans are treated with dignity, respect, equality and fairness.
Fair Trade Two Words Fair trade, written as two words, means that something has been fairly traded, often above and beyond the minimum standards which Fairtrade sets. These 10 fair trade principles are as follows: Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers: Poverty reduction by making producers economically independent. Transparency and accountability: Involving producers in important decision making.
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