What is Fair Trade?

By Kelsey Holmes, Greenheart Club Program Assistant

“It’s a small miracle that we as consumers can participate in a process that is keeping skills and communities alive and helping them to prosper.”                           – Emma Watson

More than one-sixth of the world’s population lives on less than $1 a day.  This is an important statistic to consider, especially for members of Greenheart Club.  As global leaders, each day Greenheart Club members have the opportunity to make conscious choices that affect change – beginning with consumer habits.  Chances are most of the products that we utilize, consume, and wear were made by someone else.  Consequently, it is important to not only understand where and how these products were made and delivered, but to make the conscious effort to ensure that purchases are not only sustainable, but promote economic and social justice.

Simply defined, fair trade is “trade in which fair prices are paid to producers in developing countries.”  The Fair Trade Federation and World Fair Trade Organization have also come up with a list of principles that more fully define exactly what fair trade means:

It is so important to recognize that as consumers, we have a direct responsibility for and impact on the livelihoods of those who produce the goods we use on a daily basis.  Recognizing that our own purchasing power has the ability to feed a family or send a child to school is essential in understanding our role in fair trade.  Check out this infographic to see how your purchase can change someone’s life:

Fair trade is about the story.  Focusing on where the goods you purchase come from and how they impact the lives of others is such an important part of being a global leader that acts with integrity and lives a life of service.

So, what are some steps you can take to ensure that you’re contributing to sustainable consumerism?  First, start by assessing what you purchase already and seek fair trade alternatives.  Chances are, you can replace products you use every day – like your morning cup of coffee – with fair trade goods!

Check out the Greenheart Shop to learn more about how the artists we work with exemplify the nine fair trade principles as a starting point for conscious consumerism.   Staying up to date with Fair Trade shops in your community, like the Greenheart Shop is a great way to learn about fair trade initiatives around the world and what you can do to promote ethical purchasing in your own community.  What are some ways that you can promote fair trade in your daily life?