By Martine G. Bates
A woman in Alabama buys a beautiful candleholder as a gift for a friend. It pleases the giver and the receiver. Another woman buys a similar gift at the same price but chooses one, possibly from national Woman’s Missionary Union’s (WMU) WorldCrafts, that bears a fair trade logo. This gift also pleases the giver and the receiver while directly impacting a family in Zimbabwe, enabling it to feed, clothe and educate its children.
Under fair trade guidelines, artisans and farmers in developing countries are paid a fair price that enables them to improve their standard of living. The fair trade movement also promotes sustainability and reinvestment in communities. The most common fair trade products are handicrafts and coffee and other agricultural products, although the list continues to grow. Products are generally imprinted with a logo indicating that either the producer or the marketer or both have met fair trade standards.
The fair trade movement began in the 1940s when Edna Ruth Byler, a Mennonite woman from Akron, Pa., visited Puerto Rico. Byler was so moved by the poverty she witnessed that she returned home determined to do something help. She began by selling handcrafted items from the trunk of her car, eventually building a network that connected artisans in developing countries with marketers in the United States.
One of the largest fair trade retailers, Ten Thousand Villages, is a direct result of her work.
Since Byler developed the concept of fair trade, it has grown into an international movement. In 2006, international fair trade sales totaled $2.6 billion. Approximately 5 million people earn a living from fair trade production.
“This is not about a handout. It is not about continuing the cycle of poverty or charity — it’s about partnership and respecting the hard work that people do,” said Carmen Iezzi, executive director of the Fair Trade Federation (FTF). “This resonates with consumers who want the same respect for their own work.”
She pointed out that a conventional trading situation is a “race to the bottom” to see “who can treat people the worst and cut the most corners. What our work is about is really a race to the top to build strong businesses on both ends.”
Iezzi also pointed out that fair trade practices seek equity in wages, not necessarily equitable wages.
“This is not about throwing American-level wages at producers in Africa,” she said. “It is about paying living wages in the local context where the goods are produced and paying promptly and fairly.”
The promptness in paying provides sustainability for producers. Iezzi explained that fair traders pay 50 percent up front and the rest on delivery, which makes a difference if you are a poor woman in India, for example. Under the conventional trade model, the woman would have to borrow money to fill an order because she would not be paid until 30, 60 or even 90 days after delivery of the product.
Several studies support the idea that engaging in fair trade has a positive impact on producers. The studies, conducted in Kenya and several locations in Latin America, reveal that producers experienced an improved standard of living with such tangible benefits as reduced child mortality, better family nutrition and improved educational opportunities for children.
According to Kristi Griem, WorldCrafts production coordinator, conversations with producers support the studies’ findings.
WorldCrafts, a nonprofit ministry of national WMU, works with more than 70 artisan groups in developing countries. It sells the artisans’ FTF-certified items through its Web site and hosted parties similar to Tupperware parties.
Griem reported that one WorldCrafts partner said, “This work provides income to those with no other marketable skills. I am a widow, utterly poor; one daughter assists me in crocheting at my hut.”
Another WorldCrafts partner pointed out, “Your orders help to pay for our oldest son’s study. … All my family helps with the work.”
Consumers rely on two types of certification to help them find fair trade products. Some organizations, such as TransFair USA, certify specific products — like coffee or chocolate — that are available at more than 40,000 locations, including Costco and Sam’s Club. For a list of where to buy these products, visit www.transfairusa.org/content/WhereToBuy.
Other agencies, like the FTF, certify retail stores in the United States and Canada that are committed to fair trade. To earn certification, everything in the store must be sourced through fair trade principles. For a list of these stores, visit www.fairtradefederation.org and click on the Find Members tab.
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