Cultivate New Opportunities -- Fair Trade Principle #1

Does it really make a difference? Does “fair trade” really mean anything? How do I know which claims to trust?

It’s hard to know. Many terms – ethical, sustainable, direct trade -- suggest that products are made in ways that respect the producers with fair wages, safe working conditions, environmental stewardship, equal treatment for women and refusal to employ children. But which terms, which logos on packaging, can you believe in? How can you know which products are really made respectfully and fairly with the welfare of the makers and the planet at the forefront?

The Fair Trade Federation (FTF) is an internationally-recognized leader in promoting ethical and sustainable trading partnerships. It supports the growth of enterprises around the world that respect workers with a living wage and safe working conditions. It’s a non-profit organization, existing solely to forward this mission. The FTF “walks its talk” and you can rely on its logo to identify products and organizations that take fair trade seriously.

FTF has a code of practice and nine principles that define Fair Trade and detail the guidelines to which members commit. Annual reviews require that members thoughtfully consider their practices and work with FTF to improve them.

Want to know more about the fair trade principles and how they work for makers in the developing world? FTF has published a series of blog posts to highlight the principles and show how members have applied them in their work.

The first FTF principle is Cultivate New Market Opportunities – working with producers to open up access to new markets. Here is a post from FTF that describes some interesting and inspiring ways that members have done this.

Didi Bahini is proud to be a member of Fair Trade Federation because it really does make a difference – it’s an organization you can trust.