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Fair Trade is one of those nice sounding words that can seem a bit fuzzy. Every company wants to make out that its workers are treated fairly, so what are the specific guarantees of products that are labelled 'fair trade'?
Well, 4 international Fair Trade organisations, which together account for most fair trade sales worldwide, came up with a joint definition in Dec 2001, which goes like this:
'Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the right of, marginalized producers and workers – especially in the South. Fair Trade organisations (backed by consumers) are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of international trade.'
In a nutshell, that means:
- Paying a Fair Price (or wage), covering the costs of sustainable production and living
- Support to production and market access for the producer organisations
- Capacity building and empowerment for producers and their organisations
- Making payment in advance if requested by the producer
- Transparency and Traceability throughout the supply chain
- Long-term, stable relations with producers
- Conditions of production respecting the eight ILO Core Conventions
- Respect for the environment, protection of human and in particular women's and children's rights and respect for traditional production methods which promote economic and social development
- Awareness raising activities about Fair Trade production and trading relationships, the mission and aims of Fair Trade and about the prevailing injustice of international trade rules.
- Monitoring and verification of compliance with these criteria
- Regular impact assessments of Fair Trade activities
Cokoon seeks to ensure that all its products are fair trade by sourcing only from organisations that either use the Fairtrade Mark, are certified Fair Trade Organisations, or have been personally inspected by Cokoon.
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