Fair Trade Food and Clothing Basics
What is Fair Trade?
Fair
Trade is a certification system that ensures products are made with respect for
people and the planet. When you see the Fair Trade Certified™ label, it means
the product meets strict standards for promoting sustainable livelihoods and
safe working conditions for farmers and workers. Organizations such as Fair
Trade USA, Fairtrade International, and Fair for Life audit and certify
products to ensure they comply with these principles.
Benefits of Fair Trade
Fair Trade benefits farmers, workers, consumers, and the planet. Here’s a closer look at the key components of the Fair Trade USA program:
Sustainable
Livelihoods
- Fair Trade ensures that
farmers and workers earn stable and transparent prices for their products.
For example, in coffee farming, Fair Trade sets a minimum floor price for
coffee beans, which protects farmers when market prices drop too low. If
market prices rise, farmers benefit from the higher price, ensuring they
always earn enough to cover their basic costs.
Safe Working Conditions
- Fair Trade standards ensure that farmers and workers around the world have safe working conditions, regulated work hours, the right to freely associate, and maternity leave. There is a strict zero-tolerance policy for sexual discrimination, forced labor, and child labor.
Environmental
Sustainability
- Fair Trade has rigorous
environmental standards that require factories to implement strong
environmental management plans. These plans help monitor and reduce the
environmental impacts related to chemical use, waste disposal, energy
consumption, and water usage.
Community Development and Empowerment
- When a brand like REI Co-op partners with a Fair Trade factory, they pay a premium for every product bearing the Fair Trade seal. This premium goes directly into a community-managed bank account that belongs to the farmers or workers. They decide how to use this money, often choosing to allocate it for community programs like daycare services, education programs, clean water initiatives, healthcare, or even transportation solutions like bicycles for faster commutes.
Values-based Shopping
- Fair Trade makes it easy for
conscious consumers to shop based on their values. When you see the Fair
Trade Certified™ seal on a product, you know that the social, economic,
and environmental impacts have been carefully considered throughout the
production process.
Finding Fair Trade Products
When
shopping for Fair Trade products, either online or in-store, look for globally
recognized Fair Trade seals and product descriptions that mention Fair Trade
certification. You can select this sustainability attribute while shopping on
REI.com and find a range of certified Fair Trade products from REI Co-op and
various partner brands.
There are several types of Fair Trade certifications, each indicating different aspects of the product’s supply chain that meet Fair Trade standards. Here are four variations you may encounter:
Fair Trade Certified™ [Ingredient]
- This label signifies that a
specific ingredient in the product, such as cotton or chocolate, is
sourced from a Fair Trade Certified™ farm.
Fair Trade Certified™ Factory or Sewing
- This label indicates that the product was made in a Fair Trade-approved facility, ensuring the manufacturing process complies with Fair Trade standards.
Fair Trade Certified™
- For food, this means that 100% of the ingredients are from Fair Trade farms. For apparel and home goods, it means that the product is not only made from Fair Trade materials (like cotton) but also processed, cut, and sewn at a Fair Trade factory.
FAIRTRADE
- Managed by Fairtrade
International, this label indicates the product meets global Fair Trade
standards. You may see this seal more commonly in grocery stores but less
often at REI.
Fair for Life
- This certification covers a
variety of product types, including food, cosmetics, and artisanal
textiles. It applies throughout the entire value chain, ensuring that
certified materials are traceable from origin to buyer.
