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Fair Trade is « a trading partnership based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers - especially in the South. Fair Trade organizations, backed by consumers, are engaged actively by supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade. » This definition of Fair Trade was developed and adopted in 2001 by the actors involved in Fair Trade and grouped into the FINE network, a working group that gathers four international Fair Trade organizations.*
Set off in the sixties with the motto «Trade, not aid», fair trade aims to establish trading relations that agree to all, from producer to consumer. Nowadays, it is frequently associated with the High Quality Environmental standard.
Fair trade is based on the following principles:
- Ensure a fair remuneration for the most disadvantaged producers and artisans, allowing them to meet their basic needs: health, education, housing, social welfare.
- Guarantee the fundamental rights of persons (denial of child exploitation, forced labor, slavery...)
- Establish direct, sustained and transparent relations between economic partners.
- Promote environmental preservation.
- Provide consumers with quality products.
Hence, fair trade aims on creating and promoting conditions that enable the poorest farmers to develop their own profitable and sustainable business by providing them with a fair and direct access to markets, without any speculative intermediaries.
As for consumers, fair trade gives them the opportunity to make a responsible purchase of quality products, in accordance with their values.
*The WFTO (World Fair Trade Organization) exists since 1989 and is a global practitioner. The EFTA (European Fair Trade Association) groups since 1990 the European import centrals which represent social enterprises that are in contact with Southern producers and buy their products. The NEWS! association (Network of European Worldshops) gathers since 1994 the diverse national networks of stores specialized in fair trade. And the FLO-I (Fairtrade Labelling Organizations) draws together since 1997 the different labelling organizations of fair trade.
To learn more about fair trade : Wikipedia article about fair trade |
