Fair trade fares well for consumers & producers.
Are you familiar with fair trade products? The term “fair trade” has become much more prevalent recently. Many products tout this label, but many consumers seem unclear on what exactly this means, and why a fair trade label can make a product more expensive. I’ve done the research for you and am pleased with what I’ve found.
Essentially, fair trade means that products and commodities have a determined, standardized price. This price takes labor costs, production costs and the costs of shelter, food, clothing, education and healthcare for the producers into account, meaning that an adequate portion of the money you spend on a good will go into the pockets of the individuals who produced it. Products that are created in non-fair trade ways do not have this guarantee. This means that the price you pay for a bag of coffee, a skin care product or bottle of wine may be high, but that your money will not go to the people who produced the good–nor towards their well-being.
In today’s global economy, it can be hard to remember that many of our products are made far away, in places we may never visit, by people we may never meet. Because of this, it is easy to pay a low price for a good without thinking of the repercussions for the people who made it. Buying fair trade can be more expensive, but you can rest assured that your money will go into the right hands–the hands of the people who made the product.
Remember, Organic Male OM4 and Eminence Organics of Hungary value fair trade, and obtain ingredients in fair trade manners and produce products under fair trade standards. By being a consumer of these brands, you are supporting something much larger than these companies: justice and fairness.