Fair Trade

For my Social Theory class ( haha I don't know what it means either...I'm partially kidding...but seriously...) we have a paper due this week. For this paper, we had to pick a global issue and apply a specific social theory to that issue (exciting stuff, I know.). Anyways. The topic I chose to research and qualify from a structural functionalism perspective (Don't worry. You don't have to understand that to understand this post. :) ) is the how fairly traded products are helping to combat the issue of unfair wages and working conditions. I thought I'd share a bit of what I've found with all ya'll. I'll spare you the boring theory parts of my paper, but the gist of it is that throughout the world the working poor are exploited by the wealthy upper class. In order to provide cheap products to consumers (namely those consumers in the United States), millions of people are forced to work for wages that are barely enough to survive on (We're talking people living on a dollar or a couple of dollars a day. And we want to complain about our financial situations??). The idea behind the fair trade movement is purchasing products that have been traded in a way that gives the farmers and workers that provide these products a fair wage for their labors. It cuts out the middlemen involved in the selling process, allowing the farmers and workers to receive top dollar for their product. It's a movement that has been gaining ground in recent years, and has the potential to change the lives of the working population all around the world. And it starts with us, the consumers.

In researching for this paper, I came across some information via the largest certifier of fair trade products in the US (Many stores or church groups sell products that are based on fairly traded principles, but they may not have the certified label on it. This just means that they haven't gone through the certification process. It doesn't mean workers aren't receiving fair pay for their product. You just have to be careful because sometimes stores will try to say something is fairly traded, even though it hasn't been.). This certifier is called Fair Trade USA. In order for a product to be technically considered 'fair trade' it needs to have a label on it that looks something like this:

As I said, Fair Trade USA is the largest certifier of fairly traded products in the U.S. This means that most likely, for a product to be considered fair trade it has to get the stamp (or label) of approval from this organization. I've found a lot of information on Fair Trade USA's website, and I'll post some of their videos on this post to help you become more informed about your purchasing power. One of Fair Trade USA's key points is that every purchase we make matters. When we make informed choices in our purchases we can be making a difference in the lives of workers all over the world. By purchasing a product with this label on it over a product that hasn't been fairly traded, we can be assured that farmers and workers are getting the most money for their product (because they don't have to go through middlemen, brokers, exporters, and all these other people who would be taking profits from them). We can also know that the higher profits these farmers receive will be used to build better communities, as well as used to make better products. And who doesn't want to be buying a better product for their dollar? So take a minute (or many minutes) to browse through these videos and others on the site, and become aware of the power we have as consumers.

And there's a bunch more on Fair Trade USA's website. I'm not saying Fair Trade will completely revolutionize the economic disparity much of the developing world finds itself in. But it could help for sure! And think about it. Products such as coffee, tea, sugar, chocolate, and bananas are some common fair trade items. We buy these things every day! Why not make a conscious effort to look for a fair trade certified label and directly impact someone's life for the better? You're already going to be using these items, so why not look for a fair trade certified label and help improve someone's life? Yes, it may cost a little bit more, but honestly I think it's worth it. I fully believe in the power of Fair Trade. Sometimes it's not always realistic to buy everything I need fair trade (especially being a college student), and not everything I purchase is fairly traded. But since I started researching for this paper, it's made me think about how easy it would be to just look for that label when I go out and buy coffee, or whatever else. I don't have much money, but I for sure have more than a lot of the people who work to make the products I buy all the time. It's really important for us to be able to make informed choices about what we purchase, and I know the next time I go out to get groceries or whatever else, I'll try to find certified fair trade products. Every purchase matters. And we can make a difference in the lives of so many people. Seems like the right thing to do, yeah? Just take some time to become more informed on this movement, and I hope you will consider starting to purchase fairly traded items! How about starting with that cup of coffee you drink every morning? :) Ok. That's all I have for now.