USING TRADE TO BALANCE EQUALITY IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD
Fair Trade farmers and producers are guaranteed a fair price for their crops and goods. They are empowered to compete in the global marketplace through direct, long-term contracts with international buyers. This market access lifts farming and producer families from poverty through trade.
Keeping food on the table, children in school and families on their land. Workers doing business within the Fair Trade model are also guaranteed fair wages and safe working conditions, and forced child labor or any human exploitation is strictly prohibited. In many situations, workers are paid an additional Fair Trade premium for use on long-term social and business development projects such as healthcare, scholarships, women’s leadership initiatives and micro- finance programs.
The Fair Trade model is a viable option to empower the developing world thus creating safe, thriving communities where equality can be found. When you purchase Fair Trade products, you are not only acknowledging the hard work performed in the developing world, but you can also know that the producers of that product have been treated fairly and are living slave free lives.
WATCH FOR THE LABELS
The Fair Trade labels offer consumers a simple way to know that their products were produced in a socially-responsible manner. The third-party verification guarantees that strict social, economic and environmental standards have been met. Now more than 11,000 different products can be found in over 70,000 retail locations across the United States.
Fair Trade World 