Making a Difference: Buy Fairtrade
August 16th, 2009
Meander through your local branch of Tescos, and you’re observing the miracle of global market forces. One can purchase practically anything at very low cost. It could be coconuts from Thailand or coffee from Columbia – it’s available all year round. This is by far the greatest era in human history to be a shopper in the west. This has come about from just in time stock control, economies of scale, strong competitive forces, and perhaps most significantly, the fact that many produced goods are sourced, and frequently manufactured, in second and third world countries.
That last point is quite significant, and controversial. While consumers are purchasing food, drink, clothing and other items produced from poorer countries at rock-bottom prices, workers and business organisations in these producing nations are frequently exploited in the process, and have no true sustainable business model since they’re at the end of a very long string of middle men who determine what they make, how much, and how often. This extended string of middle men all receive their pay too – so there’s not a lot of cash left for the actual producer.
Still, there’s assistance for these exploited individuals and businesses. Fairtrade is a movement that attempts to empower such end-manufacturing business organisations in the poorest nations of the world. It looks to get rid of the middle-men, and pay the end-manufacturer a decent price for a product in a much more primary way. You might have encountered Fairtrade items in your local super market. You’ll sometimes find they’re a little bit more expensive, but by buying such ethical products or even ethical gifts, you will know the producer is working in a sustainable business environment that not only pays them justly through much more direct revenue streams, but it also allows them to reinvest in their business through higher earnings, which really makes a difference to these poorer parts of the world.
