A regional division of Not For Sale Campaign

Fair Trade is an economic answer to the growing trafficking problem. The fair trade label applies to companies that agree their products are not produced by slave labor, that all employees are paid a fair wage and free to leave as they please. In addition fair trade also looks at sustainability and environmental consciousness. This system works within the market model and puts the onus on the consumer to drive up demand for fair trade and other non-slave produced goods while driving down the demand for slave produced goods. Unlike a boycott which only removes demand and often makes companies more belligerent, fair trade simply shifts the demand from one form of production to another but still within the same type of product.
Buying fair trade is a worthy endeavor when looking at the issues of labor trafficking. Unlike sex trafficking which has no direct impact on our daily lives, labor trafficking has a daily impact on our lives. We often do not notice it since we in America are relatively oblivious to the fair trade concept and the idea that the goods we buy may have been produced at the expense of the factory employee. The most easily purchased fair trade products are coffee and chocolate. In both cases, the raw materials are often harvested (and in the case of coffee grown too) by slaves. Under the Fair Trade system, the farmers and harvesters are not slaves and in fact receive the benefits of participating in the global market. They have buying and selling power and receive due compensation for the work done.
One of the most common detractions sited when discussing fair trade is the cost of the products. In the case of fair trade coffee, the cost is comparable to the price of slave produced coffee. As such, it makes logical sense to buy fair trade because not only is the price the same but the social benefits for the workers is immense. Fair trade simultaneously increases demand for the non-slave produced goods while decreasing demand for slave-produced goods. Chocolate is a slightly more difficult sell (pun intended). Fair trade chocolate is noticeably more expensive than its slave produced counter-parts, in this case the consumer must weigh the value of pocketing a few extra dollars against the harm being committed against the slaves daily in order to produce the cheaper product. This may sound incredibly self-righteous (and in fact it probably is) but the fact remains that a human life is worth FAR MORE than a couple dollars at the supermarket. I readily admit that I dont buy fair trade as much I should and that cost is a factor, but that DOES NOT make my choices right and it is a choice I have to live with daily. In my case the easier choice is to simply not buy chocolate because I cant afford the fair trade products and I dont want to buy the slave product, unfortunately this is not an efficient use of the market. Fair trade allows for the market to be used to fight injustice by demanding a socially responsible product. So the next time you go to the store and want chocolate or coffee please look for the fair trade emblem and take a stand for those who are oppressed and forgotten.

~ NFS intern and Grad Student Jazz

The Value of Fair Trade

FAIR TRADE

COLORADO