The International Fair Trade Market

The explanation for fair trade,” refers to the movement to improve the lives of growers and other producers through trade.” http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/the_problem_with_fair_trade_coffee

Threat of Substitutes: There are various substitutes for fair trade coffee in the industry such as regular coffee, tea etc but not only coffees but in the general beverages market e.g. Coca Cola, Water etc. As a result of this there is a very high threat of substitutes.

Who am I? I work around twelve to fourteen hours every single day, I make barely enough money to survive, I work in some of the most dangerous conditions in the world, and I am exploited based on the poverty I live in. I am a garment worker in a developing country. While most people would assume that this describes slaves a long time ago, this is actually a current issue that we have a much greater impact on than we may realize. When we purchase clothing from stores such as H&M or Forever 21, with every dollar tank top, or a cheap pair of jeans we purchase, we are encouraging this sort of modern day slavery. The label for Fair Trade was created in 1988, and over the years, the certification has changed rapidly and now there are a number of standards companies have to abide by to achieve the Fair Trade label. Due to this, consumers are now guaranteed of the morality of the product (Marcovitz page 27). The book Fair Trade describes what Fair Trade really stands for by saying, “Fair Trade displays a radical shift in trade policy by using morality instead of personal and corporate gain as the motive in the world economy” (Fair Trade page 1). This means that instead of getting wealthy being the main goal for the entrepreneurs at the top of companies, the goal is to help workers and make the world a more fair place. They do this by paying a living wage to their employees, giving them contractual rights, giving them a reasonable amount of hours, and countless other of

Philip Hammond once said, “When I believe firmly in open markets and free trade, I also believe an open market needs a level playing field.” This would express the definition of free trade, the international trade left to its own course without tariffs, quotas, and other restrictions. However, this definition is a myth. Free trade is not as free as it is meant to be believed. Free trade extends to the relationship of Europe and the United States. With that being said, free trade has turned into a dependence upon the United States as Europe has no other source to turn to or gain necessary means for profit. So, the United States is able to abandon Europe, but Europe cannot lift the oppression of tariffs. By definition, the free market should be determined by supply and demand, and consumers than restrictions and interventions. This does not seem to be the case in the relationship between these two nations. Today, free trade agreement lends itself to the free movement of the superpower while Europe has limitations. This free trade is known as the Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership. The United States and Europe trade is for the “mutual” benefit of job creation,economic growth, and international competitiveness. However, this trade agreement is only beneficial to one party, the United States. This law allows a foreign company who invests in a foreign country to sue the nation if the country makes changes to the agreement. Therefore, Europe will always be in debt to the

Did you know that coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world? Second to oil, the coffee industry employs millions of people to trade, process, grow, and produce coffee (BBC News). In this paper I will address if the coffee industry is fair to its producers and consumers. I will also discuss different fiscal organizations that directly affect the coffee industry’s prices like the International Coffee Organization, World Trade Organization, Free Trade, and Fair Trade. I will also touch upon of the coffee industry influences farmers, middleman, and consumers.

Is it true that companies are dedicated and contributing to the development of farmer’s lives and their social and community improvement through Fair trade? We will if they are committed to what they say or not. However, fair trade itself is a very giant topic to discuss so I am going to focus on fair trade coffee and the main coffee traders like Starbucks. Also we will see if Fairtrade coffee is entirely ethical or

Fair trade and free trade are very similar terms and are often confused and misunderstood. They can often be heard as terms being used interchangeably in the context that is completely irrelevant to their definitions. Both freedom and fairness are always coveted by the masses, but these concepts address the same subject from very different perspectives. The definition of free trade and fair trade are consistent with most articles and websites such as “Investopedia” and “Fair Trade Federation”. Fair trade focuses on restricting producers and farmers in poor or developing countries by forcing them to adopt safe working conditions, provide service to planetary protection, and pay minimum wages. Free trade removes the boundaries between all

Being a conscious consumer currently is no small task, with multiple choices of mega stores filled with products that our most time often than not filled with products that are cheaply produced. Moreover, the big company’s give little regard to the producer. This is where the concept of fair trade comes from. In a piece of Harvard’s Journal of Economic Perspectives states that “Fair Trade is a labeling initiative aimed at improving the lives of the poor in developing countries by offering better terms to producers and helping them to organize.” (Dragusanu, Giovannucci, Nunn, 2014) The article continues to say that “…Fair Trade-certified coffee exports were 1.8 percent of global coffee exports in 2009…” (Dragusanu, Giovannucci, Nunn, 2014) A reason why this percent maybe so small could be due to peoples who make the argument that Fair Trade is not economically sustainable. This meaning that if these producers are underneath the

One video, “Fair Trade- The Story” explained the process behind Fair Trade coffee and the effects it has. Fair Trade holds the highest standards for labor and income for the farmers. It certifies products that ensure fair wages and safe working conditions for workers. A significant aspect of Fair Trade is

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an organization that strives for free international trade. It replaced the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1995. The WTO acts as an arbitrator for countries who are members and participate in the organization. Most of the world is or is willing to become a member of the WTO because of the benefits it can supposedly bring, but it’s really an organization designed around protecting one’s domestic markets, especially the larger countries.

Globalization has huge influences on economies as many countries are engaged to international trade in order to achieve economic growth, free trade agreement and financial liberalization has contributed to the opening up of world economies and resulted in more international trade. Countries use their comparative advantages to gain a positon in the global marketplace and achieve economic growth (Seyoum 2007). International trade is a critical resource of revenue earning for developing countries. However, the benefits realized from free trade are mostly enjoyed by developed countries. In another word, developing nations are actually at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to international trade (Ghani 2009). In this essay, it will

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international organization that regulates the rules of trade between member nations. Its mission is to create a “common institutional framework” that will facilitate trade negotiations and settle disputes. Decision-making in the WTO include both formal and informal processes. At the formal level, decision making takes place under a specific legal framework, which includes rules or guidelines, division of authority, legal ramifications of decisions and the provision for change. At the informal level, internal coalitions and group politics plan an essential role in reaching consensus among members.

Fair trade can be defined as a social movement thats objective is to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and elevate sustainability. Fair trade is contrasting to the other trade practices in our world, its about making codes of fairness in the marketplace. The practice of fair trade seeks to reshape the way we buy and sell products - to verify that all farmers and skilled workers behind the manufacturing of goods get a better deal. Most people would assume this as a better means for prices, however can include better and longer lasting relationships. Fair trade is also about information, having the knowledge as to where are food/products are coming from, and having the knowledge that all products were

World Trade Organization (WTO) is an international institution that supervises and ensures the executions of trade agreements and treaties among economic entities. Its headquarter is located in Geneva (Switzerland). It was called Economic UN for its status of international trade. The volumes of trade of the members have become the majority international trade. It is the maker, supervisor and executor of multilateral trade treaties and agreements. It is an important place to settle trade disputes. It is an influential participant in the international economic cooperation with other global institutions and one of the most important international organizations.

Around the world, big corporations aiming for huge profits sell many regular daily products that are originally produced in developing countries.