FAIR TRADE vs. free trade

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FAIR TRADE vs.free trade
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WHY NOT FREE TRADE?

• The free market system favors big businesses
  over workers and small, family farmers. (NAFTA
  has had devastating effects on Mexican farmers,
  for example, given huge farm subsidies in the
  US.)
• In the free market, producers are especially
  vulnerable to commodity price fluctuations.
• The free trade model can have devastating
  environmental effects. (Free trade agreements do
  not require adoption of internationally
  recognized environmental standards.)

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OUR SPENDING CHOICES AFFECT LIVES AROUND THE
WORLD. THE PRODUCTS WE ENJOY ARE OFTEN MADE IN
CONDITIONS THAT HARM WORKERS, COMMUNITIES, AND
THE ENVIRONMENT.
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From Fair Trade farmers and artisans in
developing countries, to Fair Trade distributors
around the world, to the Fair Trade consumers at
the end of the supply chain, each individual
involved in a Fair Trade transaction ensures the
health and well-being of workers, communities,
and the environment.
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When you buy Fair Trade, you are buying into a
system that respects the True Costs of doing
business, rather than seeking the lowest possible
costs at the expense of workers and the
environment.
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FAIR TRADE OFFERSAN ALTERNATIVE.FAIR TRADE
CRITERIA INCLUDE
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• Paying a fair wage in the local context
• Offering employees opportunities for advancement
• Providing equal employment opportunities for all
  people
• Engaging in environmentally sustainable practices
• Being open to public accountability
• Building long-term trade relationships
• Providing healthy and safe work conditions within
  the local context
• Providing financial and technical assistance to
  producers whenever possible
• Ensuring there is no abuse of child labor

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Before fair trade, I was someone who took a box
and loaded it onto a train. That was my only
responsibility. I was just a farmer, an
intermediary. In this new system, I have become
an international businessmanI am looked upon
as a human being, not an object.
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Fair Trade producer groups reinvest their profits
into strengthening their businesses and
communities, building health clinics and schools,
starting scholarship funds, building housing,
providing leadership training, and establishing
programs for women.
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SUSTAINABILITY

• Farmers are encouraged to use environmentally
  friendly practices to preserve the health of the
  soil, air, water, and workers in the field
• Certification ensures that farmers obey all
  internally monitored environmental standards
• Financial incentives encourage organic
  conversion, reforestation, water conservation,
  and environmental education.

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