Why buy Fairtrade?
Fairtrade is growing at a phenomenal rate. Sales of Fairtrade Mark goods were worth £290m in 2006 rising 72% to £493m in 2007. This mark is internationally recognisable and polls indicate 70% of the UK population now recognise it, up from 57% in 2007.
International trade may seem like a remote issue, but when commodity prices fall dramatically it has a big impact on the lives of millions of small-scale producers. An impact like this forces many into crippling debt and countless others lose their land and their homes.
Fairtrade targets disadvantaged communities and producer organisations to enable them to improve their position in international trade and have more control over their lives. Fairtrade works in partnership with producers to help them build their skills and capacity to trade more effectively.
Fairtrade guarantees producers fairer terms of trade by directly enhancing income and market access. On top of the Fairtrade minimum price, the Fairtrade labelling system guarantees a premium for the farmer organisations or plantation worker committees to enable them to invest in social, economic or environmental improvements.