Is Fairtrade fair?

26/10/2010

    Fairtrade aims to provide better opportunities of commercial terms for producers in developing countries or less-developed countries to reduce poverty and provide equality in commerce.  Moreover, Fairtrade supports producers to develop their skill, quality of products that create more accessibility to the export market and also considers the effect on the environment.  In addition it basically depends on purchasers' option in payment to decrease poverty and create sustainable development.  
    World Fairtrade Organization sets up 10 standards of Fairtrade, such as supporting fair payment and good working condition, long-term commercial contract, forbidding illegal child labour and concerning social, economic, environmental development.
    Following the Fairtrade standards, the Fairtrade label, managed by members of the Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO), is used to guarantee that the products has been applied to Fairtrade principles and meanwhile it therefore generally supplies the information to consumers and assures that they partake in improvement of Fairtrade producers' livelihood.  Furthermore, in order to get Fairtrade certification, traders usually have to comply with the following general standard divided into two sets; one for small farmers and the other for hired labour;
    1. Payment of minimum price covering the cost of sustainable livelihood and social premium for development project in the society, commerce and the environment.
    2. Pre-payment if it is required
    3. Offering long-term trading contract
    On the other hand, consumers not merchants commonly pay for Fairtrade products more than general goods in the market price.  Besides, the goods produced by producers in the developed countries cannot be certified as Fairtrade products.

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    In my opinion, Fairtrade is fair, particularly for producers as employers and farmers, such as increasing income and assistance in better working condition.  Moreover, the consumers, interested in ethical production, can usually benefit from Fairtrade organic agricultural products that are more healthy, such as Teadirect's Earl Grey Tea and Steenbergs Organic Black Peppercorn in the UK and participate in supporting poor producers to obtain better life.  If there is not Fairtrade, the big companies or organisations are likely to have more powerful negotiation and not recognise labour's rights in the less-developed countries.  For example, They hire labour with low wage and bad working condition, such as risk of the pesticide.

Find more detail here : Fairtrade and development, World Fairtrade Organization, The Fairtrade Federation, Fairtrade Foundation and Taking child labour in the cocoa industry