Why choose fairtrade

Here are 10 ideas about fair trade that sometimes hold us back.

Fair Trade products cost more

  • False! Thanks to a more direct commercial relationship with artisans and a reduction in the number of intermediaries between craftsmen and consumers, fair trade products are sold at prices comparable to those of conventional trade of equivalent quality. In addition, you have the guarantee that more of the profits will go directly back to the producers.
  • Choosing equitable means first and foremost making sure to pay a fair price, ie a price that covers production costs and pays for the work provided, which allows the craftsman and his family to live decently.

Fair trade does not really help artisans in developing countries

  • False! Although fair trade does not solve all the problems faced by artisans and workers in developing countries, it does help to improve their situation in practice. In addition to sustainably improving their financial situation and offering them better opportunities in the job market, fair trade also improves the quality of their products and the efficiency of their techniques, the development of their products. communities and their empowerment.
  • Choosing fair is the guarantee of having a real and long-term positive impact on the life of the producing communities, both economically and socially.

Fair Trade makes competition with local artisans

  • False! Most fair-trade handicrafts are products that will not be made here because of very old and elaborate crafting techniques, and because the number of hours spent producing a product is huge compared to what is done here. To consume locally and to consume equitably is not contradictory: many of the fair trade craft articles are designed here and generate work for the routing part.
  • Choosing equitable helps create quality jobs here, while sustainably supporting small artisans in developing countries.

Fighting climate change requires us to consume products from here

  • False! By choosing fair trade products, you can help artisans and workers in developing countries to preserve their own environment and enable them to have a positive social benefit in their community. Climate change is affecting first and foremost the poorest people in developing countries, especially people whose livelihoods depend on crafts.
  • Choosing fair means allowing craftsmen and workers to adapt to the effects of climate change, to implement practices that are more respectful of the environment, to choose to work with “clean” materials.

Fair Trade benefits mostly multinationals

  • False! The fair movement brings together all types of organizations: small and medium-sized enterprises, cooperatives, multinationals, non-governmental organizations, distributors ... as long as these companies respect the criteria of fair trade defined for and with producers and craftsmen .
  • Choosing equitable means doing business according to rules that break the logic of exploiting conventional trade and providing better trade conditions for workers in developing countries.

Fair Trade products are not quality products

  • False! Fair trade producers' organizations place a premium on the quality of their production because they represent a means for them to access high-end markets and to differentiate themselves from the competition. Improving quality is one of the positive results of fair trade. In terms of fashion, jewelery and accessories: fair trade designers are working to combine fashion trends with sustainability and the inspiration of craft techniques, in order to offer their customers products that are both ethical and connected.
  • Choosing fair means guaranteeing products of the highest quality, made in accordance with exacting standards and highlighting traditional know-how and small-scale production.

Fair Trade is only for coffee and chocolate

  • False! Fair Trade was born in the 1940 years with the importation of handicrafts from marginalized communities in developing countries. While the first fair trade label, Max Havelaar, appeared at the end of the 1980 coffee year, fair trade certification standards now exist for a wide variety of products, including processed products. There are now several thousand fair trade products marketed by dozens of brands!
  • Choosing fair is not only for coffee and chocolate, but also for a wide variety of basic food products, and also for processed products such as handicrafts, jewelery, clothes ...

Fair Trade products are not easy to find

  • False! Fair trade is no longer confined to small shops as in its infancy. Fair trade products can now be found in supermarkets, specialty stores, cafes, restaurants, schools and universities, and you can even buy them online!
  • Choosing fair is also demanding fairness on a daily basis and for everything. With the increasing demand from consumers for products that respect humans and their environment, retailers, retailers and large businesses must offer equitable products to their customers.

Fair Trade is simply a form of charity

  • False! Fair trade is based on an exchange relationship whose success depends on the ability of organizations to be economically viable over the long term and to be competitive in the market. Although many fair trade organizations support community development projects in addition to their commercial relationship, trade remains the key element of long-term economic and social development of communities.
  • Choosing fair means fostering positive, long-term change through business relationships that empower producers and workers.

Fair trade is for the social, but for the environment we must consume eco-responsible

  • False! While fair trade products are not all eco-responsible, they tend towards ethical and sustainable production and business management.
  • Choosing equitable means encouraging artisanal producers in the transition to the use of clean raw materials and an end-to-end eco-responsible sector.