Thoughts on Fair Trade Products

**Nada.Leona** · 05-19-2010, 09:23 AM

This is an aspect of green living I haven't looked into very much yet. Just curious as to what others' opinions are and how you involve fair trade in your purchasing.

**monkeywrangler71** · 05-19-2010, 10:04 AM

I feel bad about the coffee. We had a huge stockpile of coffee here that I am almost through. I'm going to get one more jar of instant to get me through to the move, but after that I plan to buy fair trade.

I have no idea where my chocolate comes from, I should look into it. I only get expensive brands anyway.

**Greebo** · 05-19-2010, 10:08 AM

How is "fair trade" related to "green"?

Fair trade is price fixing.

**lparker** · 05-19-2010, 10:12 AM

If there isn't more than a 10% difference in price (if I have a choice) between two items, I'll buy fair trade. I'm afraid that FT may be a marketing gimmick in that some extra money goes to the producers, but not all. And maybe the money goes to the producer but not the workers. There is no way to track it..just "trust" the seller.

**lparker** · 05-19-2010, 10:15 AM

Fair trade isn't price fixing...it's paying a fair price for a commodity, generally to smaller producers that grow/make something in an ecologically sound way.

**Greebo** · 05-19-2010, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by lparker

Fair trade isn't price fixing...it's paying a fair price for a commodity, generally to smaller producers that grow/make something in an ecologically sound way.

It's paying a price for a commodity that is *greater* than what the sellers of that commodity would otherwise sell it for.

That is price fixing - it's price fixing on the supply side, but its still price fixing.

As long as its all voluntary, I've got no PROBLEM with price fixing - but the 'green' connection is tenuous at best - many fair trade policies advocate the green side but that's not the root idea behind fair trade.

**monkeywrangler71** · 05-19-2010, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by lparker

If there isn't more than a 10% difference in price (if I have a choice) between two items, I'll buy fair trade. I'm afraid that FT may be a marketing gimmick in that some extra money goes to the producers, but not all. And maybe the money goes to the producer but not the workers. There is no way to track it..just "trust" the seller.

It is regulated, they can't put the fair trade certified logo on their products without first being independently audited to ensure they meet the international standards for fair trade.

**IntlMom** · 05-19-2010, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by Greebo

How is "fair trade" related to "green"?

Fair trade is price fixing.

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade"]Fair trade - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:FairtradeQuinoa.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/FairtradeQuinoa.jpg/300px-FairtradeQuinoa.jpg"@@AMEPARAM@@commons/thumb/c/c2/FairtradeQuinoa.jpg/300px-FairtradeQuinoa.jpg[/ame]

"Fair Trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as social and environmental standards. It focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fresh fruit, chocolate and flowers."

To be honest, it really isn"t "green", but the green movement has embraced the fair trade movement and kind of brought it alongside itself.

So being green involves taking extra steps to care for our planet, environment, and our health (limiting exposure to pestisides, etc....).

Supporting fair trade involves taking extra steps to care for the people and practices that are supplying good quality products, as opposed to simply paying the cheapest price for a product, in spite of however poor the growing practices are for the people involved.

So is it a stretch? Maybe. But not as big as you might think.

And yes, I support and "vote for" fair trade (coffee, anyway) with my food dollars.

**mek42** · 05-19-2010, 10:29 AM

Greebo, the forum descriptor here specifically mentions "Fair Trade" as one of the example topics. So, to answer your question, "Fair Trade" is related to "Green Living" because the forum states explicitly that it is.

Does "Fair Trade" also include some modicum of human rights? For example, can one be confident that sweatshops packed with sub-teenage children laborers weren't involved in making the product labelled "Fair Trade"?

**Greebo** · 05-19-2010, 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by mek42

Greebo, the forum descriptor here specifically mentions "Fair Trade" as one of the example topics. So, to answer your question, "Fair Trade" is related to "Green Living" because the forum states explicitly that it is.

Yes, but that answer would only prompt me to ask, "WHY is Fair Trade tied into the Green forum?"

**Greebo** · 05-19-2010, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by IntlMom

The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as social and environmental standards.

Like I said - price fixing!

And as I said - as long all parties involved are involved voluntarily, I'm perfectly ok with price fixing.

**IntlMom** · 05-19-2010, 10:40 AM

Originally Posted by Greebo

Like I said - price fixing!

And as I said - as long all parties involved are involved voluntarily, I'm perfectly ok with price fixing.

But Greebs, it's not price fixing. If you go to buy coffee, for example, there are lots of options on the shelf. You have no idea the growing conditions, or the working conditions of the people that produced your cup of coffee. But if opt to vote for fair trade with your food dollars, you can be sure that you are supporting good working conditions and ethical practices for those involved in
your morning cup of joe.

Like I tell my husband, there are some things that are simply worth more than the almighty dollar.

**Greebo** · 05-19-2010, 10:43 AM

Price fixing is an agreement between participants on the same side in a market to buy or sell a product, service, or commodity only at a fixed price, or maintain the market conditions such that the price is maintained at a given level by controlling supply and demand. The group of market makers involved in price fixing is sometimes referred to as a cartel.

Yes, it is. The participants are agreeing to pay a price for the product that isn't driven by supply and demand.

A "manually powered entrenching tool" is just a spade, too.

**IntlMom** · 05-19-2010, 10:48 AM

Ok. Like I tell my husband: it's ok to agree to disagree.

I see fair trade along the same lines as organic produce. I am simply willing to pay a slightly higher price for something I believe that is important to me. Period. End of story.

**Greebo** · 05-19-2010, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by IntlMom

Ok. Like I tell my husband: it's ok to agree to disagree.

I see fair trade along the same lines as organic produce. I am simply willing to pay a slightly higher price for something I believe that is important to me. Period. End of story.

It's not a matter of disagreement - the practices involved in fair trade fall under the umbrella of price fixing. Your own explanation of fair trade confirms it - you're just objecting to me using the older yet perfectly valid name for what it is.

And let me say it for the third time now - I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH IT.

I think "fair trade" is perfectly FINE, so long as everyone involved participates voluntarily. We buy fair trade coffee too - not for ourselves (we like flavors Fair Trade doesn't offer) but for my Dad who doesn't do flavored coffee.