Beginners guide to Fair trade

From Hooked - Students for Trade Justice

The HookedWiki beginners Guide to Fair Trade

Make Poverty History Wristband

In 2005 and 2006 millions of people worldwide joined the campaign to MAKE POVERTY HISTORY. If you joined the hundreds of thousands of Australians who purchased a Make Poverty History Wristband then you helped to support the three goals of the Make Poverty History Campaign:

More and Better Aid

Drop the Debt

Trade Justice

One of the ways Hooked Students for Trade Justice aim to fulfil this third goal is by promoting Fair Trade at schools and universities around Australia and New Zealand.

What is the difference between 'Fairtrade' and 'Trade Justice' ?

5 million disadvantaged producers and their families gain directly from Fairtrade, but they and millions more still remain at the mercy of unfair international trade rules. That’s why we must do more than buy Fairtrade products – we should also campaign for trade justice.

Fairtrade is a market-responsive mechanism in that it balances consumer demand and producer supply – the more consumers demand Fairtrade products, the more opportunities there will be for producer organisations to benefit from the system. The Fairtrade system seeks to tackle some of the inequalities in the global trading system in a number of ways (see below).

In a context of an imperfect and unbalanced marketplace, Fairtrade is able to demonstrate that it is possible for trade to be fairer for producers. On its own, however, Fairtrade is not a solution to all the injustices of international trade rules – which is why campaigning for trade justice is so important.

Source: Fairtrade Foundation UK 2005

Find out about Trade Justice

So how does Fair Trade help to Make Poverty History?

Fair Trade aims to encourage solidarity and mutual respect between consumers in countries like Australia and producers in the Developing World. It does so by guaranteeing not only that producers are paid a fair price for their produce but also by providing them with a steady form of income, a safe working environment and community ownership of their project. The Fair Trade premium, which is added to the guaranteed minimum amount which producers will be paid, also means that Fair Trade helps to develop community projects such as schools or health care centres.

Choose products with the FAIRTRADE Mark

In Australia you can purchase the following Fairtrade certified products: Coffee, tea, cocoa/chocolate and soccer balls. These products all bear the Fairtrade symbol as a guarantee that they are independently certified by the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation. Cafés and shops which sell Fairtrade certified products also display this symbol.

Fair trade in Australia is overseen by FTAANZ (the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand) which was established in 2001? To find a café, shop or supermarket near you which stocks Fairtrade certified products visit the FTAANZ locator

As well as coffee, tea, cocoa and soccer balls it is possible to purchase hundreds of other fairly traded products. Fair trade handicrafts, for example, come from worldwide indigenous producer partners. There are a number of Fair Trade shops in Australia which specialise in selling Fair Trade handicrafts. For a full list go to the FTAANZ locator.

Still Want to find out more?