Ethical Travel - Fair Trade
Fair Trading
It’s 8am and you’re walking dozily towards the subway to get to work. Or it’s 9pm and you’re feeling drowsy but still have a tonne of work to do. Or it’s just mid-morning at work and you need a caffeine kick before you fall asleep at your desk. Where do you head for that life-saving coffee?
Is it the Starbucks right by the tube entrance where the gorgeous waiter always serves you a wink with your espresso? Perhaps it’s the local café on the corner because their coffee is half the price of the chains? Or do you dip into your good old-fashioned instant coffee jar? More importantly however how much does it matter to you that this coffee is Fair Trade?
Story Highlights
- Fair Trade – The Facts
- Who Benefits?
- What’s The Coffee Like?
- Fair Trade Organisations
- How You Can Help
The Facts
Fair Trade is a partnership seeking greater equal rights in international trade. The organisation encourages sustainable development in third world countries and supports the rights of disadvantaged workers and producers.
Poor countries are denied $700 billion every year because of unfair trade. Fair Trade organisations actively campaign and raise awareness to counter this and change conventional international trade.
The Fair Trade website sets out the key objectives of the organisation:
• To work alongside marginalized producers and workers to help them become less vulnerable and more economically secure and self-sufficient.
• To help producers and workers become stakeholders in their own organisations.
• To achieve fair international trade globally.
Who Benefits?
Small-scale farmers, consumers and the environment all benefit from Fair Trade. Their standards are applied to 18 different product categories - from fresh fruit to chocolate and flowers to sports balls - you can make a difference wherever you live. Be sure to look for the Fair Trade mark because this guarantees the farmer will get a good deal.
The scheme also provides money for community projects including health care programmes, schools and adult literacy.
Shoppers can be assured that the extra few pence they pay for Fair Trade produce - goes directly to the farmers. In fact five million farmers in 58 countries benefit from Fair Trade.
What’s The Coffee Like?
Some have queried the taste of Fair Trade coffee but there are approximately 70 varieties available so you can have a lot of fun trying to find your favourite!
Union Coffee Roasters were rated the: “most ethical coffee” by Ethical Consumer Magazine and Percol's Fair Trade Guatemala and Rainforest Mexico, won the Great Taste Awards last year. It therefore seems that there isn’t much mileage in the inferior taste argument.
Fair Trade Organisations
Huge, international companies are jumping on the Fair Trade band wagon to assure customers that they are ethical. Costa, Starbucks, Nestlé and Kenco have all launched their own Fair Trade products and although these products only represent a tiny proportion of their overall sales, if you make a point of asking for them at the counter, you can make a difference.
Cafedirect work exclusively with Fair Trade food and drink and the Day Chocolate Company is part-owned by Ghanaian cocoa farmers – who make Divine and Dubble bars. You can therefore be assured that you can buy these products with a clear conscience.
The Co-operative stores in the UK have been launching Fair-trade products since 1992. www.marsaba.com sells fair-trade furniture, clothes, gifts, jewellery, lighting and music.
How You Can Help
Oxfam have launched a campaign to encourage key figures to make all international trade fair. The Big Noise petition represents the voices of people around the world and you can sign it here.
Global Exchange offer campaign packs and fundraising guides if you want to alert local schools, campuses and communities about the cause. They also have a list of pressing issues and ways you can take action on their: “Get Involved” tab.
However the easiest way to support Fair Trade is to purchase Fair Trade products. Ask for them in supermarkets, restaurants and local coffee shops and you know that you’ll be making a difference.
- Jen page
