What's the Deal With Fairtrade?

By Intan Zainal

The global economy is severely off balance because our current trading rules and practices fail us. According to a recent United Nations report, at least 2.2 million migrants will arrive in the rich world every year from now until 2050 due to poverty, unfavorable climate change and economic crisis. Hunger causes the death of about 25,000 people everyday, where children are the most affected.

Between 1970 and 1980, the rich nations took about one million migrants a year from poor countries. During the next 43 years, immigration will run at more than twice that level and approach 2.3 million every year from now until 2050.

What is Fairtrade?

In essence, it is a movement against the failure of conventional trading to deliver sustainable livelihoods and development opportunities to people in the poorest countries of the world. According to the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), there are about 2 billion world citizens who work extremely hard and have to survive on less than US$2 per day. Fairtrade highlights the need for changes in the rules and practices of conventional trading and provides benefits via stable prices, price premiums, partnership and empowerment of farmers and workers alike.

The WFTO was established in 1989 and is the global representative body of more than 350 organizations with a 100% commitment to Fair Trade. Each year on the second Saturday of May, it organizes the World Fair Trade Day. Events have included Fair Trade breakfasts, talks, markets, live performances, fashion shows, carnivals, festivals, processions and protests. This year it falls on the 8th May and is being called A BIG DAY FOR THE PLANET.

The FAIRTRADE Certification Mark verifies that products meet the social, economic and environmental standards set by Fairtrade. The FAIRTRADE Mark is now the most widely recognised social and development label in the world. So if you're buying a product with this label, it really means that you are giving support to the movement.

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