STEP #33
Look for Fair Trade
The fair trade movement seeks to provide fair labor conditions, living wages, and improved quality of life to workers who might easily be exploited and to protect environments and ecosystems that provide precious resources for the global community. By purchasing items that are Fair Trade Certified, you help protect our natural resources and help protect vulnerable populations as well.
According to transfairusa.org, one of the key fair trade principles is environmental sustainability: “Harmful agrochemicals and GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are strictly prohibited in favor of environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmers’ health and preserve valuable ecosystems for future generations.”
FINE, an unofficial conglomeration of the top four fair trade networks, explains that “Fair trade organizations (backed by consumers) are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade.”
Buying fair trade products and supporting fair trade efforts and organizations supports the needs of marginalized people, including access to clean air and water that are often compromised by activities like mining and oil drilling.
According to Oxfam, a worldwide organization seeking to better the lives of people who live and work under the harmful conditions produced by mining and oil drilling, mining releases toxic fumes and dusts which settle on local agriculture and water sources, causing cancers, birth defects, and other health problems. In addition, mines require large amounts of water to operate, and tend to win out over crops and people who also need the scarce resource. Oil drilling also causes significant damage to native environments. Where there is oil, there is often an influx in human activity, including road-building that tears up fragile ecosystems and causes toxic chemicals to be released into the soil and water supply, harming agriculture and marine life. Even more, oil wells often burn natural gas, contributing significant amounts of emissions to global warming.
By supporting Oxfam and buying fair trade products, you can be a part of the solution to help the plight of indigenous peoples and also promote education about the importance of environmentally sound production processes.
TransFair USA is another organization that explores fair trade practices and the environmental importance of buying fair trade products. According to their website, in order to receive a fair trade certification, a product must be produced adhering to stringent environmental standards that protect the environment and its people from harm.
These standards require that harmful agrochemicals are kept away from fair trade crops so that the soil and land have long-term sustainability, and they protect people from coming in contact with or ingesting potentially harmful chemicals that can be released into the air and contribute to global warming. Crops must be rotated and careful attention paid to the use of water. Burning land is not an option unless it is found to be ecologically sound (in commercial agriculture, land is burned to make room for crops, releasing carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide— both greenhouse gases—into the air and making long-term use of the land nearly impossible).
TransFair USA says fair trade methods of growing promote the following:
You can buy fair trade-grown products from numerous retailers like coffee chains and grocery stores nationwide; you can find a complete list at www.transfairusa.org/ content/WhereToBuy.
By participating in fair trade, you help lessen the impact of global warming caused by unsustainable methods of mining, oil drilling, and farming.
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