It's not hard to incorporate fair trade into your every day life- you could replace your regular coffee with a fair trade brand, shop fair trade for gifts, and wear fair trade clothing. But is it possible to live your whole life fairly? Probably not, but how close can you get to that? In this post, I'll be going through an average day and taking some of the little things you and I use everyday and seeing how many of them could be fair trade.
"Getting Ready" products:
After some extensive searching, I think I may have found one of the best companies ever. It's called The Body Shop, and they're so committed to fair trade, they set up their own organization called Community Trade, which helps them ensure that they use fair trade products as often as possible. After checking out their website, I'm convinced that you can get anything you could ever need to get ready in the morning and then some. They have lotions and soaps and hair products and make up and fragrances and even a men's shop. I was really impressed with the variety they carry and that the prices weren't astronomically high - in fact, they're competitive with prices I've seen from non-fair trade companies for higher quality products. Though I haven't tried any of their products yet, I'm planning on it.
Here's their website: http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com
Clothing:
I know I've mentioned them before, but I love People Tree. They're very fashion forward and for what you're getting, I think the prices are amazing (they show up as British pounds on the site, so make sure you convert them to dollars when you're shopping!). But what about other brands? Check out this website here. It's a huge directory of fair trade brands from all over the world. If you're really into fashion and fair trade, I'd definitely check it out.
Food:
What could be more fair than buying local? Not only are you buying fresh foods, but you're also helping out local farmers in your community - that's a win-win. Easiest way to do that? Go to a Farmer's Market, where the vendors are all in one place. Since many of One Fair World's customers are Salem locals, here's the link to the Salem Saturday Market website.
Those are the things I go through on a daily basis. Little things. And looking through what I've found, it's definitely possible to replace a ton of those little things in your life with fair trade things. As far as living a completely fair life though - nearly impossible in the society we live in. There are no fair trade cars or refrigerators or computers. Not yet at least, and even if there were, would average people be able to afford them? I doubt it unless there are some big changes, and those don't happen overnight. The point of this post wasn't to show the impossibility of a fair trade lifestyle; it was to show that it was more possible than you'd think, just in little ways.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Fair Trade Plantations?
The idea seems preposterous - including plantations in the Fair Trade program. When I hear the word "plantations," I'm immediately reminded of cotton plantations in the Southern states before the Civil War... isn't that the opposite of what Fair Trade stands for? Yes, but Paul Rice, founder of Fair Trade USA believes that coffee growing estates and plantations can be incorporated into the Fair Trade system IF they follow the ethics guidelines.
Pros:
The goal of the policy change is to increase the amount of sustainable supply to keep up with the demand for Fair Trade coffee, which now represents 5% of all coffee sold in the United States. By including more kinds of producers, not just co-op farmers, Rice hopes to double the impact of Fair Trade by 2015; the change would make it easier for big coffee buyers like Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Starbucks and Whole Foods to buy more Fair Trade products. "Fair Trade can be more than a tiny market niche. It can be scalable and significant," he said, and this philosophy is driving the change in Fair Trade USA's policy.
Cons:
Critics of Rice's plan argue that expanding suppliers to include coffee estates corrupts the core ideology of the whole Fair Trade Movement. Many believe that by allowing plantations to participate in Fair Trade, smaller co-op farmers, the very same people Fair Trade was created to protect, will be run out of business. Before the change in policy, co-op farmers were able to stay in business because of the appeal of Fair Trade to consumers; without that exclusive label, capitalism within the Fair Trade market has the opportunity to stamp out the smaller businesses who can't keep up with large plantations.
The larger question now is how this change in policy will impact other fair trade markets like chocolate, jewelry and art pieces.
So where do you stand? Do believe that Fair Trade should be expanded to include coffee estates? What about for other fair trade goods? Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!
Pros:
The goal of the policy change is to increase the amount of sustainable supply to keep up with the demand for Fair Trade coffee, which now represents 5% of all coffee sold in the United States. By including more kinds of producers, not just co-op farmers, Rice hopes to double the impact of Fair Trade by 2015; the change would make it easier for big coffee buyers like Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Starbucks and Whole Foods to buy more Fair Trade products. "Fair Trade can be more than a tiny market niche. It can be scalable and significant," he said, and this philosophy is driving the change in Fair Trade USA's policy.
Cons:
Critics of Rice's plan argue that expanding suppliers to include coffee estates corrupts the core ideology of the whole Fair Trade Movement. Many believe that by allowing plantations to participate in Fair Trade, smaller co-op farmers, the very same people Fair Trade was created to protect, will be run out of business. Before the change in policy, co-op farmers were able to stay in business because of the appeal of Fair Trade to consumers; without that exclusive label, capitalism within the Fair Trade market has the opportunity to stamp out the smaller businesses who can't keep up with large plantations.
The larger question now is how this change in policy will impact other fair trade markets like chocolate, jewelry and art pieces.
So where do you stand? Do believe that Fair Trade should be expanded to include coffee estates? What about for other fair trade goods? Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!
Friday, May 11, 2012
Hello again! In between my last post and this one, I have been so extremely busy with lacrosse and work and my course load that I have had no time to volunteer, which is really a shame because I've missed it... but I am happy to say that not only will the blog be back up again, but I will also be back in the store teaching people about fair trade :)
I'm hoping to update the blog once or twice a week throughout the summer, so keep checking back for articles. I'm really excited about being able to write again and thanks for reading :)
I'm hoping to update the blog once or twice a week throughout the summer, so keep checking back for articles. I'm really excited about being able to write again and thanks for reading :)
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Kony 2012
It's been way too long since I've posted, but I haven't been truly inspired with something to write about. Maybe it's because I had to give up my weekly shift. I miss volunteering. I don't know who makes these decisions but whoever you are, let me know when One Fair World starts opening on Sundays again :)
Now, to the focus of this post. Most of you have probably heard about the "Kony 2012" campaign to make Joseph Kony, a wanted Ugandan war criminal, famous (or infamous). If not, you can find the video created by Invisible Children here. If you've been following the story, you've heard the controversy over Invisible Children's tactics, United States military involvement, and the recent mental breakdown of Jason Russel, the head of the Kony 2012 campaign.
Let me start off by saying that I'm not taking a side on any of the aforementioned issues. The point of this article isn't to preach my opinion on whether Invisible Children is corrupt, or whether the United States government should get involved in Uganda's affairs, or anything like that.
What's my point then? It's that people are so focused on the wrong parts of the issue that they completely forget what the issue is even about in the first place. It can generally be agreed upon that killing thousands of people and forcing children into the military is morally wrong, right? But instead of a unanimous voice against these crimes, there are people arguing over the legitimacy of the organization trying to bring attention to the issue and even whether or not these crimes were "misrepresented."
I realize the situation is way more complicated than "let's just send some troops into Uganda, capture Kony and then everything will be good again," but let's not get our differences in opinions distract us from what's really important - keeping Joesph Kony and others like him from exploiting and murdering innocent people.
Fair trade is all about preventing these same people from from being taken advantage of in the workplace and providing a way from them to live a good life - let's support these same ideals regardless of the controversy surrounding the method of achieving them.
Now, to the focus of this post. Most of you have probably heard about the "Kony 2012" campaign to make Joseph Kony, a wanted Ugandan war criminal, famous (or infamous). If not, you can find the video created by Invisible Children here. If you've been following the story, you've heard the controversy over Invisible Children's tactics, United States military involvement, and the recent mental breakdown of Jason Russel, the head of the Kony 2012 campaign.
Let me start off by saying that I'm not taking a side on any of the aforementioned issues. The point of this article isn't to preach my opinion on whether Invisible Children is corrupt, or whether the United States government should get involved in Uganda's affairs, or anything like that.
What's my point then? It's that people are so focused on the wrong parts of the issue that they completely forget what the issue is even about in the first place. It can generally be agreed upon that killing thousands of people and forcing children into the military is morally wrong, right? But instead of a unanimous voice against these crimes, there are people arguing over the legitimacy of the organization trying to bring attention to the issue and even whether or not these crimes were "misrepresented."
I realize the situation is way more complicated than "let's just send some troops into Uganda, capture Kony and then everything will be good again," but let's not get our differences in opinions distract us from what's really important - keeping Joesph Kony and others like him from exploiting and murdering innocent people.
Fair trade is all about preventing these same people from from being taken advantage of in the workplace and providing a way from them to live a good life - let's support these same ideals regardless of the controversy surrounding the method of achieving them.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Fair Trade IT in the future?
I stumbled across this article about incorporating the fair trade model into the production of IT (or information technology) such as computer hardware and software. The difference between this industry and other industries where fair trade has had successes is the scale of the operation; with IT production, the goods are being manufactured in a factory where there are thousands of workers as opposed to a small farming community.
Another obstacle for fair trade is economics. Implementing fair trade policies increases the cost of production (an increase many companies are unwilling to take) and ultamitely raises the price of goods. As Ang Kai Hsiang, an associate with Baker & McKenzie.Wong & Leow, noted, "It appears that consumer purchasing habits, especially in relation to IT products, are largely price-driven." Unlike other fair trades goods like coffee and apparel, the market of people willing to pay more for fair trade IT products is too small for a company to exist in such a competitive industry. "It is good to have models of responsible production, but unless there is a plan to turn those models into the norm, then you hit a dead end," as the executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), Scott Nova, put it.
For the full article, click here.
What are your thoughts on this? Leave a comment below if you've got something to say :)
Another obstacle for fair trade is economics. Implementing fair trade policies increases the cost of production (an increase many companies are unwilling to take) and ultamitely raises the price of goods. As Ang Kai Hsiang, an associate with Baker & McKenzie.Wong & Leow, noted, "It appears that consumer purchasing habits, especially in relation to IT products, are largely price-driven." Unlike other fair trades goods like coffee and apparel, the market of people willing to pay more for fair trade IT products is too small for a company to exist in such a competitive industry. "It is good to have models of responsible production, but unless there is a plan to turn those models into the norm, then you hit a dead end," as the executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), Scott Nova, put it.
For the full article, click here.
What are your thoughts on this? Leave a comment below if you've got something to say :)
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Mission Imposible Part 2
I finally found a company that sold "fair trade" fabric. The only problem was, they had no fair trade certifications so I sent them the following email:
Hi, my name is Gabby and I'm a senior in high school who lives in Oregon. I wanted to buy fabric from you for a prom dress, but I wanted to make sure it was fair trade. You say fair trade on your website, but I didn't see any certification. I was just wondering why that is.
Their response?
Gabby,
The third party certification process is very expensive for these small artisans, they just wouldn't be able to sell their products if they went through the process. If you are referring to the Cambodian and Vietnamese silks, the process of weaving is a long time tradition that they have passed on for many generations. Now with the global market, the villages are able to sell their products internationally but the "fair trade" certified label would make profitability impossible.
I personally know the importers, which is also a small company owned by a mother and daughter here in California. They go to the villages and pick out which fabrics to carry directly from the artisans. There is no large manufacturer who contracts the production, just real people doing what they have done for hundred's of years.
I hope that is enough for you to feel confidant that you would be buying a fair product.
Thank you, Erin
The only problem now as far as my dress goes is convincing my mom to allow me to have a hand-made dress for prom (she's a bit nervous).
There is a larger issue in this though, and it's the difficulty small fair trade businesses are facing in trying to certify themselves. Without certification from the Fair Trade Federation, these businesses face a definite disadvantage but obtaining certification is a challenge in itself. Currently, in order to get certification from the FTF, a wholesaler or retailer must be open a full year AND go through a screening process which costs $75 and can take up to nine weeks after all of their materials are received. A retailer can apply for membership after 180 days, but only if they only purchase goods directly from importers and reach $20,000 in sales.
There are also annual fees to maintain a membership:
While these figures may not seem like much, these fees can add up, especially for nonprofits and small businesses, who often only receive a small profit margin to keep their prices competitive and affordable with other local non-fair trade businesses. For the mid-range businesses, the $1.25/ $1,000 is taken out of their gross sales, meaning that it is proportional to how much is SOLD, not how much profit is made. This makes it especially hard for nonprofits like us, who the FTF should be supporting. While One Fair World is a certified fair trade retailer, many businesses simply cannot afford to be.
So what are the ramifications of this? One, for the individual business owner, is the skepticism they face from not being certified; they could likely lose business, like the company I contacted, from people who only choose to buy fair trade and don't trust businesses who can't prove that they are in fact fair trade. The second is on a much larger scale - the exclusivity of fair trade membership allows for more fair trade impostors. With many businesses unable to get membership because of the fees and regulations, it's become acceptable for businesses to go without the certification and still claim they are fair trade, and in many cases they are. However, there's nothing stopping non-fair trade businesses from advertising that they are fair trade and there's nothing to distinguish them from the legitimate fair trade businesses.
By preventing many smaller fair trade businesses from receiving certification, the Fair Trade Federation is causing less credibility in the "fair trade" name. If they made membership less expensive and more accessible to small local businesses, they would not only allow for an expansion of the fair trade market, but also decrease the amount of businesses that claim to be fair trade but don't follow its practices.
Hi, my name is Gabby and I'm a senior in high school who lives in Oregon. I wanted to buy fabric from you for a prom dress, but I wanted to make sure it was fair trade. You say fair trade on your website, but I didn't see any certification. I was just wondering why that is.
Their response?
Gabby,
The third party certification process is very expensive for these small artisans, they just wouldn't be able to sell their products if they went through the process. If you are referring to the Cambodian and Vietnamese silks, the process of weaving is a long time tradition that they have passed on for many generations. Now with the global market, the villages are able to sell their products internationally but the "fair trade" certified label would make profitability impossible.
I personally know the importers, which is also a small company owned by a mother and daughter here in California. They go to the villages and pick out which fabrics to carry directly from the artisans. There is no large manufacturer who contracts the production, just real people doing what they have done for hundred's of years.
I hope that is enough for you to feel confidant that you would be buying a fair product.
Thank you, Erin
The only problem now as far as my dress goes is convincing my mom to allow me to have a hand-made dress for prom (she's a bit nervous).
There is a larger issue in this though, and it's the difficulty small fair trade businesses are facing in trying to certify themselves. Without certification from the Fair Trade Federation, these businesses face a definite disadvantage but obtaining certification is a challenge in itself. Currently, in order to get certification from the FTF, a wholesaler or retailer must be open a full year AND go through a screening process which costs $75 and can take up to nine weeks after all of their materials are received. A retailer can apply for membership after 180 days, but only if they only purchase goods directly from importers and reach $20,000 in sales.
There are also annual fees to maintain a membership:
| Gross Sales | Dues |
| $74,999 and under | $200 annual flat rate |
| $75,000 - $1,999,999 | $200 + $1.25 / $1,000 in sales |
| $2 million and over | $2,500 + $.10 / $1,000 in sales over $2 million |
While these figures may not seem like much, these fees can add up, especially for nonprofits and small businesses, who often only receive a small profit margin to keep their prices competitive and affordable with other local non-fair trade businesses. For the mid-range businesses, the $1.25/ $1,000 is taken out of their gross sales, meaning that it is proportional to how much is SOLD, not how much profit is made. This makes it especially hard for nonprofits like us, who the FTF should be supporting. While One Fair World is a certified fair trade retailer, many businesses simply cannot afford to be.
So what are the ramifications of this? One, for the individual business owner, is the skepticism they face from not being certified; they could likely lose business, like the company I contacted, from people who only choose to buy fair trade and don't trust businesses who can't prove that they are in fact fair trade. The second is on a much larger scale - the exclusivity of fair trade membership allows for more fair trade impostors. With many businesses unable to get membership because of the fees and regulations, it's become acceptable for businesses to go without the certification and still claim they are fair trade, and in many cases they are. However, there's nothing stopping non-fair trade businesses from advertising that they are fair trade and there's nothing to distinguish them from the legitimate fair trade businesses.
By preventing many smaller fair trade businesses from receiving certification, the Fair Trade Federation is causing less credibility in the "fair trade" name. If they made membership less expensive and more accessible to small local businesses, they would not only allow for an expansion of the fair trade market, but also decrease the amount of businesses that claim to be fair trade but don't follow its practices.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Mission Impossible
This year I decided I wanted a fair trade prom dress. I figured it would be easy to find one- surely a ton of designers out there were selling adorable fair trade silk dresses, right? Well after hours of Googling "fair trade prom dress" and "fair trade formal," I had come up with nothing except cute, but definitely not prom appropriate, cotton dresses and wedding gowns.
On a side note, http://www.peopletree.co.uk/ is a great site for fair trade and organic clothing and it's pretty affordable :)
Still, I wanted a fair trade prom dress. I talked to a friend of mine in class who asked me why I didn't just make a dress. My response: I can't sew to save my life, let alone create a dress worthy of wearing to prom. That's when she offered to create the dress for me.
So now it looks like I'm going to be ordering fair trade fabric and having her create a dress. While it's still been difficult finding the fabrics I want, I think I'm getting closer to having a gorgeous, fair trade dress for the prom.
This experience really got me thinking about how difficult it is to commit to shopping fair trade. In Salem, we're lucky to have One Fair World as a place to buy jewelry and gifts and even some food, but in a lot of places, the only source of fair trade goods is the internet. As I've found out, it's extremely hard to find what you're looking for, and it's even harder to tell if a source is legitimite.
As with anything, the more active demand for certified fair trade goods, the more industires will begin to listen and change to more ethical practices, which means more choices for us. And who knows, maybe some day soon there will be a whole collection of designer dresses for girls wanting to go fair trade for their prom.
On a side note, http://www.peopletree.co.uk/ is a great site for fair trade and organic clothing and it's pretty affordable :)
Still, I wanted a fair trade prom dress. I talked to a friend of mine in class who asked me why I didn't just make a dress. My response: I can't sew to save my life, let alone create a dress worthy of wearing to prom. That's when she offered to create the dress for me.
So now it looks like I'm going to be ordering fair trade fabric and having her create a dress. While it's still been difficult finding the fabrics I want, I think I'm getting closer to having a gorgeous, fair trade dress for the prom.
This experience really got me thinking about how difficult it is to commit to shopping fair trade. In Salem, we're lucky to have One Fair World as a place to buy jewelry and gifts and even some food, but in a lot of places, the only source of fair trade goods is the internet. As I've found out, it's extremely hard to find what you're looking for, and it's even harder to tell if a source is legitimite.
As with anything, the more active demand for certified fair trade goods, the more industires will begin to listen and change to more ethical practices, which means more choices for us. And who knows, maybe some day soon there will be a whole collection of designer dresses for girls wanting to go fair trade for their prom.
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