Introduction:
Fair trade is an organized social movement. Its goal is to carry out trade under commercial agreements where producers achieve better trading conditions and sustainability by setting minimum prices at which distributors can sell their products. The movement is focused mainly on products that are made and exported from developing nations to developed ones. Most commonly products and commodities such as coffee, sugar, tea, honey, cotton, cocoa, gold and fruits etc from countries like India, Brazil, Sri Lanka and African nations.
The following report looks at what the concept of Fair Trade means and the impact that it has on producers, communities and the environment. It then proceeds on to the demographics regarding consumers of fair trade products, who they are and what sort of products do they prefer most. It shall look at why they do or do not opt for fair trade products and will provide advice to retailers on how to improve sales of fair trade goods with a recommendation at end for people on how to do their part in promoting the fair trade cause.
According to Fairtrade.org.uk;
" Fair-trade is about better prices, decent working conditions and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers.
It’s about supporting the development of thriving farming and worker communities that have more control over their futures and protecting the environment in which they live and work."
People buy fair trade products as they cut the middleman. This means that when we buy a
Through Finley's story, members had the opportunity to learn that urban farming is much deeper than a mere passion for gardening, it's about sustainability within our communities; creating a system that can uplift communities nationwide.
In conclusion, the topic of free trade is difficult to debate and often controversial as it has advantages but also disadvantages. Nonetheless, the drawbacks outweigh the benefits as it one, contravenes basic moral ideologies, two, makes the rich, richer, and the poor, poorer, and three, jeopardizes our declining environment. All in all, free trade will neither support nor sustain our country to be ethical, prosperous or
Fair trade is a market reactive system that wants to abolish global inhumane acts from child labor, poor working environments, low wages, and healthy working conditions. Fair Trade does not control the prices at a local level the producers
Being an entirely fair trade company means Just Us pays its suppliers from so-called “third world” countries a fair price, including a premium for social welfare, gets into long-term contracts (equal or more then a harvest cycle) with them skipping middlemen who often absorb most of the margin and offers them additional benefits e.g. pre-payment and loans. “The
This is the freedom to trade in a particular country versus regulated. For example IKEA a Swedish company is allowed to import its furniture into to the UK without being taxed. IKEA specialises in furniture production and Free trade with the UK
Fair Trade’s consumer recognition has tripled in the last five years, proving the company’s sustainability in a global market. As of today, this organization works with more than 800 companies to verify more than 6,000 products as Fair Trade. In 2009, Fair Trade Certified products generated $1.2 billion in retail sales, indicating their large-scale business practices.
Fair Trade is a certification from Fair Trade USA, a non-profit based out of Oakland California, that certifies that the product you are buying has been made with the utmost social and environmental responsibility. I.E. that the manufacturer was not abusing their workers or harming the environment when they make their product. To quote the paper: “As the leading third-party certifier of fair trade products in North America, FT USA’s certification stamp or seal of approval was also more than just a label; it ensured adherence to a rigorous set of standards so that ‘purchases are socially and environmentally responsible.’” As well as: “FT USA’s Fair Trade Certified label was distinctly focused on empowering ‘farmers and workers to fight poverty through trade, and to protect the environment.’”
While the idea of the fairtrade movement is arguably not bad at all, the metaphor always leaves me with a somewhat bad feeling. Keeping the movement in mind, I want to focus on the phrasing for now. The metaphor is making use of the assumption that trade means to have an equal and therefore fair exchange between two parties. Since fairness is an intrinsic value most of us share and want to see in the world, it is very easy to agree with the metaphor, which is why the metaphor has a mostly positive connotation. However, the metaphor is, in fact not just phrasing, but linked to a real movement. Putting the agreeable connotation aside, I think we should more often question whether fairtrade really is a fair trade at all.
2009). This in itself shows the high standards of sustainability can be made from free trade (Gidney, M. 2009). Fair trade provides two key benefits that can help with the current world economic crisis. First it provides sustained benefits for producers that can help maintain their business through fluctuations of the world market (Gidney, M. 2009). Second, fair trade helps to maintain fair prices, additional social premium, and long-term partnerships that help provide better living standards for millions of people in over 60 countries (Gidney, M. 2009).
Free Trade is the ability to trade goods and services without barriers, and for prices to rise naturally through supply and demand. In theory, Free Trade was a way to break down the barriers between countries, banishing taxes and allowing prices to be naturally set through supply and demand. According to the World Trade Organization, this gives the poor countries the opportunity to specialize in the production of goods that derive from their environment and natural resources with the capacity to sell those same goods to the western world, while being able to buy back goods that may not produced in their native country. This idea is to be beneficial to all; however, the rich become richer while the poor remain poor.
Throughout the years, there has been a constant controversy over whether the World Trade Organization should enforce global free trade. The primary idea is to establish in which all are happy. Although there are many advocates for trade liberalization, as well as many who oppose. I believe free trade may be advantageous for both large and small-industrialized countries, but it does not favor the smaller developing countries needs primarily.
Free trade areas, FTA, are economic integration arrangements in which barriers to trade (e.g. tariffs), exchange of goods and information among member nations are removed. It is arguable to say that fair trade aims to create equilibrium between LEDC's, less economically developed countries and developed nations in terms of trading activities and ethics. In saying this, free trading between more economically developed countries and LEDC's will mean
Free Trade is the concept we use when referring to selling of products between countries without tariffs, fees, or trade barriers. Free Trade simply is the absence of government interference or numerous restrictions, which has been labeled as laissez fair economics. Free Trade grants easier access to goods and services, promote faster growth for the economy, and also allows for the outsourcing of production of goods, which hurts the economy. Many believe that the free trade hurts developed countries and nations, due to the loss of jobs by international competition and can reduce the country’s GDP. Overall, free trade agreement with other countries can save time and money and increase participating countries economy.
The fair trade concept, based on the idea of both economic activity and social development, is replete with ethical and sustainable echoes. Ransom (2002 p 20) asks, 'can the
Ever since the first involvement of government in international trade, many people have posed their opinion about what the role of government should be in it. Different factors are involved when it comes to deciding what this should be. It impacts a lot of people, so in order to do that, trade policy must be properly defined, identify what the roles of government currently are, and their involvement in it, and then analyse what should be their role. Trade policy is how a country carries out trade with other countries (Commercial Policy, n.d). Even though a lot of people support government intervention in international trade, countries would benefit a lot more if the government removes protectionism and promotes free trade instead.