Fair Trade and Sustainability
Supporters of the Southeastern Wisconsin Initiative for Fair Trade (SWIFT) dba Four Corners of the World Fair Trade Store have been asked to explore the connection between the concepts and practices of Fair Trade and Sustainability. In doing so, it is the intent of SWIFT, its Board members, staff, Education Committee members and supporters to educate themselves in regard to Sustainability and to incorporate the language of Sustainability into the language of Fair Trade. It is immediately evident that this is not only a possible but an honest thing to do since sustainable practices are inherent in the practices of Fair Trade. Thus it is important to note that this was true prior to the current new found interest in things “green” and sustainable related to planetary practices of all kinds.
This paper will address four threads of Sustainability and Fair Trade: ecological, economic, social and cultural. In doing so, it will borrow from sources which will be cited. The first is a piece from the Fair Trade Resource Network (FTRN), the educational affiliate of the Fair Trade Federation (FTF), the umbrella organization in the U.S. which certifies companies importing and selling artisan crafts and clothing from developing countries. Four Corners has an application for membership pending in the FTF.
The Top 10 Reasons to Support Fair Trade according to the FTRN:
-Fair Trade means fair pay and working conditions for farmers and producers. Fair Trade products are made in safe and healthy working conditions where farmers and producers receive a fair price and have a voice in how their workplace is run.
-Fair Trade is better for the environment. Fair Trade supports sustainable practices that minimize our environmental footprint.
-Fair Trade means high quality goods. Artisans and farmers take pride in their work. Crafts are often handmade, which translates into closer attention to detail and in the end higher quality products.
-Fair Trade means better tasting food. Farmers are involved and invested in the entire production process and crops are grown and harvested in smaller quantities. As a result, Fair Trade food is fresher and tastier.
-Fair Trade is safe. Fair Trade actively promotes integrated farm management systems that improve soil fertility and preserve valuable ecosystems and limit the use of harmful agrochemical that present dangers to farmers’ health. That means food that’s safer for you and for the people who grow it.
-Fair Trade supports communities. By working through cooperative business structures, Fair Trade artisans and small farmers are able to invest Fair Trade earnings in their communities by improving housing, healthcare and schools.
-Fair Trade is trade producers can count on. Fair Trade is committed to strengthening direct partnerships between buyers and producers. These partnerships provide an avenue for buyers to purchase quality products from people they trust, and offer a sustainable and reliable way for farmers, artisans and their families to improve their livelihood.
-Fair Trade connects you with other cultures. Fair Trade products are unique to the places they come from and the people who make them. Farmers and artisans are involved in the entire process and Fair Trade products reflect the people and cultures they come from.
-Fair Trade means sustainable local economies. Fair Trade gives farmers and artisans control of their own future. They can build their own businesses rather than working for a middle man and the profits stay in their communities and go back into their businesses.
-Fair Trade means what you buy matters. By choosing Fair Trade products, you are not only accessing high quality products, you are making a difference in the lives of the people who grow the food you eat and make the goods you use.
The practices implicit in the above principles are followed by the crafts and clothing importers and retailers which are members of the Fair Trade Federation.
As you can see in the points above, all aspects of Sustainability are addressed in the process of doing Fair Trade as opposed to the practices of Free Trade neo-liberal capitalism which, despite its proponents’ promises, has caused an increase in poverty, massive dislocation of peoples and their respective cultures, extensive exploitation of natural resources, increasingly serious food shortages and an increase in wars and violence.
A similar but somewhat expanded set of principles for Fair Trade are found in documents from the coffee certifying arena. TransfairUSA is the primary certifying agent for coffee and other food commodities, although as with any evolving methodology, there are companies which have developed their own variation of Fair Trade principles and practices.
The Fair Trade Principles listed by Transfair are:
-Fair Prices: Democratically organized farmer groups receive a guaranteed minimum floor price and and an additional premium for certified organic products. Farmer organizations are also eligible for pre-harvest credit.
-Fair labor conditions: Workers on Fair Trade farms enjoy freedom of association, safe working conditions and living wages. Forced child labor is strictly prohibited.
-Direct Trade: With Fair Trade, importers purchase from Fair Trade producer groups as directly as possible, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering farmers to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace.
-Democratic and transparent organizations: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers decide democratically how to invest Fair Trade revenues.
-Community development: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers invest Fair Trade premiums in social and business development projects like scholarship programs, quality improvement training and organic certification.
-Environmental sustainability: Harmful agrochemical and GMO’s are strictly prohibited in favor of environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmers’ health and preserve valuable ecosystems for future generations.
Additional principles are stressed by coffee importing cooperatives such as JUST Coffee in Madison. These include:
-Direct and Lasting Relationships: Importers purchase directly from fair trade producer cooperatives and commit to long term relationships.
-Pre-financing: Importers offer pre-harvest financing or credit - often 60% of the purchase price. In coffee country, traditional types of credit are scarce and expensive.
Although the word and language of sustainability was, and still is for many, relegated to ecology and the environment, it is quite evident that the practices of Fair Trade have been carrying out the core elements of sustainability from the beginning. These are activities and behaviors which make life itself sustainable for those who have access to them. Fair Trade supports social and cultural traditions in community through activities which are ecologically and economically sustainable.
A word must also be said about the seeming contradiction of supporting locally sustainable living and retailing global imports. Four Corners of the World is an active member of the Vliet Street Business Association which focusses on the support of locally owned small businesses which provide goods and services to the surrounding neighborhood and supports activities, such as a Community Green Market for local farmers and artisans. At the same time, the Board members of SWIFT recognize the rights of all persons in our globalized economy for justice and peace and believe that the requirements of solidarity require international Fair Trade commerce.
