Now, What is Fair Trade?

June 16, 2009

Once again, I am turning to Wikipedia to help us best define what Fair Trade is all about. I know it is not directly related to your dog’s health and well-being, but you know, it IS important in the overall scheme of the HOLISTIC energy of this site. If we can ensure that as many items as possible purchased with our dollars will result in a fair wage for the people who produced them…then we are all helping a little bit at a time. So, I make 100% sure that the shea butter I use in The Blissful Dog Nose Butters are all Fair Trade produced and harvested. Thank you for YOUR support!

Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as social and environmental standards in areas related to the production of a wide variety of goods. It focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fresh fruit, chocolate and flowers.

Fair trade’s strategic intent is to work with marginalized producers and workers in order to help them move towards economic self-sufficiency and stability. It also aims to allow them to become greater stakeholders in their own organizations as well as play a wider role in international trade. Fair trade proponents include a number of international development aid, social, religious and environmental organizations such as Christian Aid, SERRV International, Oxfam, Amnesty International, Catholic Relief Services, and Caritas International.

In 2008, Fair trade certified sales amounted to approximately €2.9 billion (US $4.08 billion) worldwide, a 22% year-to-year increase.[1] While this represents a tiny fraction of world trade in physical merchandise,[2] fair trade products generally account for 1-20% of all sales in their product categories in Europe and North America.[1] In June 2008, it was estimated that over 7.5 million producers and their families were benefiting from fair trade funded infrastructure, technical assistance and community development projects.[3]

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