What is Fair Trade?
Updated: 4 days ago
It is well known that all manufacturers, producers, and products do not have equal access to customers around the globe for many reasons, starting from logistics and transportation to marketing and advertising. But, sometimes, even when they do find their way to the customers, they are not paid for fairly, and the invisible middleman takes its share of profit from the trade.
In order to provide all manufacturers with the possibility that their products reach more customers, and in return, earn a decent amount of money to improve their business and living conditions of their workers, a fair trade arrangement was put into place. As a result, it became the most recognized and trusted sustainability label on the global scale in a relatively short period of time, just a few decades. Nowadays, fair trade products are sold in over 120 countries worldwide, allowing secure and better income for many people all around the world. Moreover, consumers are increasingly interested in where and how their goods are produced. As a result, there is a massive and exciting movement toward selling and buying ethically made products.
This fair trade arrangement is designed to help producers achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships in developing countries in most cases, sometimes in others as well. Different types of products, including food, drinks, and crafts, but, for example, flowers and gold as well, are sourced through a fair supply chain, where small-scale farmers, producers, and artisans are treated with dignity, respect, and equality fairness.