Fair Trade is a phrase that is often heard in the gift industry, along with green, handmade, organic, recycled and environmentally friendly.  But what does it really mean? And can any item be called “fair trade”?

Fair trade is a movement that, according the Charter of Fair Trade Principles, “intends to provide market access to otherwise marginalized producers, connecting them to customers and allowing access with fewer middlemen. It aims to provide higher wages than typically paid to producers as well as helping producers develop knowledge, skills and resources to improve their lives.” 

A shorter definition, provided by one of the shops run by Ten Thousand Villages (an international Fair Trade handcraft organization), is “fair payment for skilled but disadvantaged producers.”  The word fair can of course be interpreted many ways, but the implication is that workers are paid whatever a “living wage” is in their community.

Usually agricultural items are the first to be given the fair trade label, including coffee and chocolate (probably the most common fair trade products) along with tea, sugar, honey, bananas, cotton, wine — and now even flowers. 

The illustration with today’s blog entry comes from the Pioneer Valley in Western Massachusetts, where Fair Trade flowers were brought in to the Northhampton Fair Trade Coalition through a grant from TransFair USA, an organization involved in certifying Fair Trade items imported into the US.  Bonnie at Flowers A La Carte sold every last one of their supply at Valentine’s Day, according to the Pioneer Valley Local First site. Her store was the first locally owned flower shop in the United States to have Fair Trade roses.

The success of these Fair Trade flowers is indicative of the fact that many consumers are happy to purchase items that come with a “feel good” message, especially if the price is not much higher than commercially made merchandise.  Even if you don’t carry food products, or fresh flowers, you may be able to add some Fair Trade items to you merchandise mix by looking for handcrafts that carry this designation.

There are a number of nonprofit organizations such as Ten Thousand Villages working with craftspeople in underdeveloped parts of the world who promise that the merchandise they import was made under Fair Trade conditions.  While these products may or may not be certified by TransFair USA, the organizations involved in their import are working hard to make sure that their workers achieve a higher than average living standard.  By presenting Fair Trade items to your customers, you can help improve the conditions of craftspeople or farmers in other parts of the world.  That’s good for the environment, good for the future of our planet — and good for business.

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder