Fair Trade Business

I found this article through Reuters and although Cadbury is not so big here in the USA, there is still Cadbury chocolate here in the States. I know that some larger stores do stock this brand although I would guess that it will be a while before we saw Fairtrade bars on the shelves. Anyway, this I suppose is good news although I do have reservations about larger companies weighing in of the Fairtrade concept:

Muenda Fair Trade believes that stewardship for the environment is an important part of supporting fair trade. With all this emphasis on building communities in developing countries we are often asked, is there anything particularly eco friendly about fair trade products?

Fair trade companies are primarily focused on social sustainability, not environmental. However, it's no big surprise that the two types of labels often get mixed up by people just testing the waters of conscientious consumerhood. Green labels like USDA Organic and fair trade labels like Equal Exchange are both using consumers’ purchasing power to make the world a healthier place. But for the record, the Fair Trade Federation states the following.

Working as a fair trade retailer means that we are living examples of fair trade principles. Some of our customers question, how is a business run 'fair trade'?

A fair trade business is one that is economically, ecologically and socially conscious. It guarantees a living wage to producers, works to sustain local environments and promotes sustainable development that fosters opportunity for growth, rather than perpetuating poverty.

The essence of Fair Trade is to pay producers (artisans and farmers) a wage to cover the cost of sustainable production, plus the value of their work to enable them to enhance themselves, their families, and their communities. This is termed a 'living wage in the local context'. This is in contrast to many 'Sweatshops' and EPZ (Export Processing Zones') that favor 'profits' over health, minimum wage and job security, in many developing countries.