Times are tough today. We’re all looking to save a buck and get the best deal. However, shopping at your local mega discount store isn’t always the best choice.
Large corporations such as Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe’s and others are not in the business of fair trade. They want to make money - lots of it. Their goal is to sell cheaply manufactured goods, which hopefully will wear out fast and you’ll come back for more. Buyers for these companies go to the cheapest source: China, Thailand, Indonesia - wherever they can make the best deal for their company…, where their bottom line will show the most profit.
There is absolutely no concern for the workers who make these products, either. A blind eye is turned toward any situations where workers are subjected to dangerous and toxic conditions, long hours or menial wages. Human rights abuses, too, are not a concern for the buyers of Wal-Mart and others. They just want their goods and they’re on the way.
Fair trade products, however, lift people out of the mire of subservience, disrespect and hopelessness. Fair trade also preserves ancient crafts which are fast disappearing in this modern world. It promotes respect for the crafts person because of what they know and the artistry of their craft. They are treated as human beings, as business people, not as a slave.
You can make a difference in the world by choosing Fair Trade products whenever possible. Many companies carry both fair trade and organic products. That means you are helping twice: promoting and strengthening fair trade and choosing organic, which helps the environment. By shopping this way - YOU - make a statement to the big box retailers. YOU are taking a stand.
This is such a simple way to help those far less fortunate than yourself. Whether your purchase is fair trade quilts or crafts, fair trade organic body care, fair trade coffee or any of the hundreds of goods, fair trade is good for everybody and the planet, too!
Fair trade has been getting a lot of attention these days. This is good news for developing nations as more and more people are promoting and consuming their products. Fair trade is basically a market-based movement that promotes the products made by marginalized workers of developing countries. It is a way of supporting and aiding these countries to be more self-sufficient.
Some products that have been marketed are coffee, sugar, tea, and honey. There are also handicraft products that promote a country’s culture as well such as a Fair Trade quilt, bags, and decor. Through fair trade, the marginalized sectors of the society are empowered. Fair trade also helps alleviate the plights of the poor and decreases the rate of unemployment.
Every day we’re inundated with advertising hype about this product or that product. After a while we may just tune out advertising noise entirely. But we all know that some products are better than others. Of course many people love boxed wine, but most people know that a more expensive bottle will taste better.
Product advertising isn’t always just about taste or preference. In the last few years we have seen a rise is in the number of fair trade products available. Many advertising slogans may include the phrase “fair trade”, but it’s important to note that fair trade products are better—better for the world and for the farmers that turn out the products. Fair trade is an organized social movement that is committed to empowering third-world country producers and promoting environmental sustainability.