If you’ve visited our retail store, most likely one of our friendly storytellers has told you that we sell fair trade products from all over the world. It’s true-we carry products from around 50 different countries and many of them have a fair trade label. But what exactly does that mean?
“Fair trade” might make you think people are being paid a fair wage, working conditions are safe, and no one is being exploited in the production of the product. While these things are often true, unfortunately, not all fair trade is created equal.
So how do you know that what you are buying is actually ethical, fair, and sustainable?
One way is to know the difference between fair trade labels and different kinds of certification. One of our favorites at Creative Women of the World is a leader in the movement: the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO). WFTO is an entity that certifies companies in fair trade, they follow ten fair trade principles when determining if a company is compliant and deserving of verification:
If you see the WTFO logo on a product, you know the company that produced it has followed these ten fair trade principles.
In future posts, we’ll dig deeper into what each of these principles mean and how they impact lives around the world. Stay tuned!
Further reading: The Fair World Project has a great list of different fair trade organizations and labels. Check out that list here and keep it in mind next time you are shopping.