Whats and Whys of Fair Trade

Hello! My name is Elena, and I’ll be investigating where your dollar goes when you spend it on African goods, whether on the continent or back home, and how to make it count for the African causes you care about.

The first question to address is, what the heck is “fair trade”?! Is that, like, sugar-free or something?? And why are people willing to spend so much more for it?

Like you might’ve guessed (unless you guessed low-carb), fair trade is about ethics. The many organizations that comprise it make sure that whoever grew, assembled, mined, or made the product in your hands has been fairly compensated. No forced labor in China, here – these farmers and small business owners are being given fair wages, proper living conditions, and access for their products to reach the greater global community. Essentially, the same thing you’d expect if you were doing the same work here in the US or another developed nation. (Though don’t confuse it with paying first-world wages in the developing world.)

And although many fair trade goods do generally cost more, they don’t all! Many companies producing fair trade goods compensate for their greater expenditure on labor by working directly with small producers rather than higher-paid middlemen. Unfortunately, because enough of the market here hasn’t demanded more fair treatment of workers abroad, many companies are able to charge more for the same product. But I know what you skeptics are thinking, and rest assured – any product bearing a fair trade seal has been verified by an independent nonprofit, so your money really is going where they say it is, and not so some CEO lining his pockets.

So that’s why, for me, buying fair trade goods whenever possible isn’t a luxury – it’s an ethical imperative. And it gives me a greater sense of purpose when I shop: instead of being an insignificant part of the invisible hand bearing down on impoverished workers in developing countries, each of my dollars is voting for a better world.