I have decided that I'm going to share a bit about Fair Trade. Over the last few years this movement called Fair Trade seems to have been coming up a lot. I first heard of it 5 or so years ago in Grade 12 of high school. At that point I was a bit ignorant and laughed. I said that I couldn't afford to buy fair trade.
The fact is, that much of our coffee and the cocoa used in chocolate is produced in undeveloped countries by slaves including child slaves or by people who are paid so little for their product that they can hardly survive. Other products often produced by slaves or under paid workers are sugar, tea, bananas, cotton, wine, fresh fruit, gold and clothes. (We often think that slavery was abolished in the 19th century, but it is common today that ever before. We often do not hear about it because it mostly occurs in undeveloped nations and receives very little media attention.)
Fair Trade is an organized social movement started by people that decided to do something about this issue. The Fair Trade goal is to make sure that workers are paid a wage that they can actually live off of, and to do away with slavery.
I realize that not everyone is called to visit a foreign country and expose the slavery that happens or start a company that pays a fair wage, but we can all Very Easily make a Difference. When you buy a product that bares the Fair Trade symbol, you are supporting farmers/workers in foreign countries and are making sure that they are receiving a fair wage.
It is very difficult to make sure that every product we buy is "Fair Trade" but please, don't be discouraged! The best thing to do is to start somewhere, anywhere! Just start somewhere you know! Buy reading this blog post you now know that Coffee and Cocoa/Chocolate are two of the products most commonly produced via slavery and underpaid workers. This is now an easy place to start! Next time you are in the store buying coffee or chocolate, look for the Fair Trade symbol.
The downside for us is, Fair Trade is harder to find, so you will have less variety of chocolate, and fair trade coffee costs more. However, naturally, if you buy a product that was produced via slavery, its going to be cheaper to buy, whereas if you buy a product produced by a person who is being paid a wage they can live on, it will of course cost more. I used to say that I couldn't afford to buy Fair Trade, but then I realized that the majority of the world cannot afford for me not to.
This whole issue of Fair Trade is something that was on the back of my mind for some time, and finally a few months ago I decided that it was time to start doing something. It costs me a little bit more, and I eat a little less chocolate, but my conscience is clear, knowing that the workers who have produced the chocolate I am eating are able to support their families. I would have never supported slavery in my own country, and I guess I finally realized that I had to stop supporting it in other countries. Hopefully over the next few years I will be able to support Fair Trade in more areas like clothing :)
My hope in you reading this blog is that you will start to think about this issue and consider to take action yourself! It may cost us a few dollars more a week for coffee, but it could also mean the difference between slavery and a free life for a family in Brazil or Vietnam, the worlds leading producers of coffee. I hope that you will take some time to think about this issue of slavery and if it is right for you to help support the workers who grow and harvest our luxuries by buying Fair Trade products. Or, maybe you'll look up a bit more on this issue. If you start to search, it will unfortunately blow you away.
The fact is, that much of our coffee and the cocoa used in chocolate is produced in undeveloped countries by slaves including child slaves or by people who are paid so little for their product that they can hardly survive. Other products often produced by slaves or under paid workers are sugar, tea, bananas, cotton, wine, fresh fruit, gold and clothes. (We often think that slavery was abolished in the 19th century, but it is common today that ever before. We often do not hear about it because it mostly occurs in undeveloped nations and receives very little media attention.)
Fair Trade is an organized social movement started by people that decided to do something about this issue. The Fair Trade goal is to make sure that workers are paid a wage that they can actually live off of, and to do away with slavery.I realize that not everyone is called to visit a foreign country and expose the slavery that happens or start a company that pays a fair wage, but we can all Very Easily make a Difference. When you buy a product that bares the Fair Trade symbol, you are supporting farmers/workers in foreign countries and are making sure that they are receiving a fair wage.
It is very difficult to make sure that every product we buy is "Fair Trade" but please, don't be discouraged! The best thing to do is to start somewhere, anywhere! Just start somewhere you know! Buy reading this blog post you now know that Coffee and Cocoa/Chocolate are two of the products most commonly produced via slavery and underpaid workers. This is now an easy place to start! Next time you are in the store buying coffee or chocolate, look for the Fair Trade symbol.
The downside for us is, Fair Trade is harder to find, so you will have less variety of chocolate, and fair trade coffee costs more. However, naturally, if you buy a product that was produced via slavery, its going to be cheaper to buy, whereas if you buy a product produced by a person who is being paid a wage they can live on, it will of course cost more. I used to say that I couldn't afford to buy Fair Trade, but then I realized that the majority of the world cannot afford for me not to. This whole issue of Fair Trade is something that was on the back of my mind for some time, and finally a few months ago I decided that it was time to start doing something. It costs me a little bit more, and I eat a little less chocolate, but my conscience is clear, knowing that the workers who have produced the chocolate I am eating are able to support their families. I would have never supported slavery in my own country, and I guess I finally realized that I had to stop supporting it in other countries. Hopefully over the next few years I will be able to support Fair Trade in more areas like clothing :)
My hope in you reading this blog is that you will start to think about this issue and consider to take action yourself! It may cost us a few dollars more a week for coffee, but it could also mean the difference between slavery and a free life for a family in Brazil or Vietnam, the worlds leading producers of coffee. I hope that you will take some time to think about this issue of slavery and if it is right for you to help support the workers who grow and harvest our luxuries by buying Fair Trade products. Or, maybe you'll look up a bit more on this issue. If you start to search, it will unfortunately blow you away.
Hey Jonny D.
ReplyDeleteGood article. We all need to have our consciences pricked every now and then.