Fair trade

Fair Trade

This essay will explain the meaning and importance of Fair Trade and its influence in the economy as Fair Trade movement is more than just paying a higher price for a product; it means working hard in order to achieve fairer trade relations between producers and consumers.

This is an initiative based on economic justice and seeks producers to participate actively in theimprovement of their lives instead of receiving donations from charities.

Moreover, its importance lies in its ability to find solutions to global problems, as well as its aim is to promote development by encouraging international trade based on social justice and respect for the environment while enhancing the autonomy of developing countries producers.
The Fair Trade movement was born as a partof the evolution of the civil organizations in Europe. The premise was that in addition to proving assistance funding, the third world countries need to generate resources for themselves to develop and these resources can be obtain by paying a fair price for their raw materials and products.

Besides, the International Fair Trade movement seeks to stablish a bridge between North and South toensure working conditions and fair ad equal trade, which help people to change their condition of dependency.
What is more, Fair Trade is a valuable alternative in the fight to reduce poverty in the South thanks to a fairer trading system, balanced and equitable, and consumers know that buying fair trade products helps the countries in the South.

Fair Trade producers can be federations ofproducers, cooperatives, families, workshops for the disables, state agencies or private companies which produce goods in the framework of the social economy.
However, all these groups have something in common: the marginalization. Economic or geographical reasons, inexperience or lack of resources, these groups do not have direct access to local or global market without the support of producerorganizations.

Therefore, the benefits for producers of fair trade are many and varied: they have a direct access to a market that would not have been possible in other circumstances.
On the other hand, many Fair Trade organizations offer assistance to producers, this support can be technical, as is the case of fashion specialists to help producers so they can follow European fashions.
What ismore, it can also be trained in methods of production, research to develop organic food and textiles and other materials used to preserved the environment, and advice on financial or administrative subjects.
In addition, many Fair Trade organizations also provide loans to producers to
increase production, and as a result, this support gives Fair Trade producers the necessary security forthemselves to address a trading system that seems complex and distant.

The mission of Fair Trade is to bring Fairtrade certification ad to connect consumers and producers through International Certification Label Fairtrade. The Fairtrade Label means fairer business conditions, which contribute to capacity buildings for producers disadvantaged to fight poverty, strengthen their position and takecharge of their future. There is no other certification system that has these principles as a main point.

Apart from this, there are now thousands of products bearing the stamp of Fair Trade Certification. Fair Trade criteria exist for food products ranging from tea and coffee to fresh fruits and nuts. There are also criteria for non-food products, like flowers and plants, sports balls and cottonseed.

Also there are organizations that are behind the Fair Trade system, such as Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) which is a non-profit organization that establishes the criteria of Fair Trade and supports producers.

For instance, In 2003 Oxford Brookes University became the world's first university to receive the official Fairtrade certification by following and...