There never seems to be enough time. From shopping for groceries, buying our favourite coffee, picking new clothes, these decisions are made quickly. These decisions directly affect so many people. That is where purchase with purpose comes in. What if I tell you that you can do all of these things and help farmers across the globe at the same time? Or even better, help entire communities and the planet? Yes, this is possible thanks to Fair Trade!
What is Fair Trade? Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of another person, a farmer with a family in India or Latin America. You work really hard everyday for many hours under the sun, with no security, in terrible conditions, and all of that hard work goes practically to waste because you still live in extreme poverty and your incomes are less than minimal. Worst part of all? There are companies that are taking advantage of your work and making more money from your work than you are. Simply put, it’s not fair. Fair Trade is here to tackle that problem and finish it for good.
This is just an example of why it is so important to buy Fair Trade products. Need more? Don’t worry, we’ve got you! Here are 6 reasons why you should buy Fair Trade products:
You Will Help The Entire Communities Behind.
Farmers, workers and companies that are in the fair trade community receive funds that are especially given for environmental or social projects that will help communities that really need support. Some of these projects include building schools, scholarships, clean water projects, hospital constructions, etc.
So you are not helping only one or two farmers to have a better life, you are helping future generations succeed, sick people to become healthier, kids to have access to clean drinking water, and more!
Image from care-phillipins.org
2. You get full transparency.
When you buy Fair Trade Products you are able to see who are the people that are involved in the process of manufacturing and supplying your products, from the farmer to the production and logistics. Best part of all this? You can see who you are helping and the community you are having an impact on by just buying a fair trade product.
3. You help fight against child labor.
There are more than 150 million kids around the world suffering child labor. That is more than all the people that live in Canada. Yes, it’s horrific, but with Fair Trade you can actually fight against these stats. Fair Trade is committed to finish with all forms of forced labour.
When you buy Fairtrade products, you are helping these kids to go to school instead of being forced to work in horrible conditions. Pretty amazing what you can do by just switching to Fairtrade products, isn’t it?
Image from the Economist.
4. You are also helping the environment.
The Fair Trade community is committed to help the planet and protect their local environments. They do this in many ways, for example, Fair Trade farmers are required to source water sustainably to reduce water usage for a long term, or to use a new water treatment system. Farmers also need to report future plans to reduce carbon emissions and the use of pesticides.
The planet will thank you a lot if you use Fair Trade products.
5. You support gender equality.
Gender equality is something that as humans, we must fight to have. Even though gender equality is a widely discussed topic today, there is still a long way to go, especially in developing countries. In such countries women don’t even have a say in decisions that will affect them or their families directly and their salaries are way lower than men's salaries for the same amount of work and hours.
Fairtrade ensures that women have the same protection and salary as men. This is the change we need to give to the future generations so they live in a world where everyone has the same opportunities, regardless of gender. And you can be part of this fight against inequality with the companies that are Fair Trade certified.
Image from Agriculture and Rural Development.
6. You support workers rights.
This is one of the best things about Fair Trade! All the workers are protected so their human rights are not violated. With Fair Trade, every worker is ensured to have fair wages, social security, leave time, and contracts. It may seem that this is something that already every person has, but reality is quite different. Luckily we can make the difference, and it all starts with simply choosing the right coffee or the right place to buy your clothes!
Image from IRRI
See how many good causes you can contribute to by just using Fairtrade products? Imagine how good it’s going to feel the next time you take a sip of your coffee knowing that you are helping a child go to school. Or the next time you wear one of our good tees knowing that you are helping us improve the lives of many farmers and workers in India!
Here’s a few certifications to look out for to make it easier to shop fair trade:
Below are a few fair trade labels that are third-party certified that benefit farmers in the Global South.
The Good Tee is proud to be Fair Trade cotton certified, which means that the farmers that make our organic tees are protected and given fair prices.
You can also look out for membership organizations such as:
We sometimes forget the impact we can have on our society and all the lives we can touch. So let’s put on our capes and be the heroes that a lot of our communities around the world need!
Do you have any favorite fair trade products you love? Share in the comments below.
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