Survey: Do You Buy Fair Trade?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 05. 9.08
Bonnie writes "There are so many communities across Africa, Asia and Latin America that are benefiting from the [Fair Trade] movement's commitment to paying a living wage by teaching people to create products that are useful, use local materials, and do not have a negative impact on the environment." But there is often a price to be paid, as it costs more to grow cocoa or coffee without chemicals and to pay people properly.
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We purchase fair trade merchandise as we find it. See:
http://madsilence.wordpress.com/2007/12/21/making-my-listchecking-it-twice/
As for the TreeHugger survey, the survey results will be skewed, as TreeHugger visitors are likely to be in sympathy.
An exceptional green site.
MadSilence
I do try and make a conscious effort to buy local produce and also fairtade products. There is a big drive in the UK and supermarkets and local shops do tend to highlight products that are locally produced or obtained through fairtrade mechanism. Yes, it may cost a little bit more than other products but it doesnt burn your pocket.
I don't buy fair trade not because I don't believe in it but because they are items I don't need. I can't find much coffee because we roast our own beans and it's hard to find green fair trade beans.
While trying to lessen the "stuff" I buy I can't justify accessories and "things" which is most of the fair trade products I see.
Just like the issue of green products that need to be main stream I am afraid that the fair trade items need to be everyday things that we need not just want. Then there is my pet peeve, not "high fashion" clothing. I live in a small southern town and that high fashion style just doesn't work and besides that I find that most of the high end clothes are down right ugly.
We just need to put all these really worthwhile products and projects on the everyday scale and all benefit.
I don't buy fair trade not because I don't believe in it but because they are items I don't need. I can't find much coffee because we roast our own beans and it's hard to find green fair trade beans.
While trying to lessen the "stuff" I buy I can't justify accessories and "things" which is most of the fair trade products I see.
Just like the issue of green products that need to be main stream I am afraid that the fair trade items need to be everyday things that we need not just want. Then there is my pet peeve, not "high fashion" clothing. I live in a small southern town and that high fashion style just doesn't work and besides that I find that most of the high end clothes are down right ugly.
We just need to put all these really worthwhile products and projects on the everyday scale and all benefit.
coming soon from Latin America
see this site, www.fairtradefish.org
however my target markets are UK and EU not arrogant,greedy,obese,xenophobic cheap chinese loving USA
and
www.tropicoolcoffee.com for cool cafes
from 'el gringo loco'
senorpescado.com
Fair trade is just another globalist scam; We buy food from the third world, we save the planet? We should be growing our own products, if we want to be truly green, and not exploit other people (yes, they have better wages, but they're still dependent upon US to survive!).
Buying fair trade to help the poor simply doesn't work. By buying specialist products from particular producers instead of on the commodities market, one drives down the cost of the commodity (less demand), thus hurting all other subsidence growers of that commodity.
This applies mainly to coffee which does not grow in the US nor Europe (in commercial quantities). Everything else? buy local.
I buy free-trade if I can find the right goods and the price isn't HUGELY higher than the competition.
No, in general, I don't buy Fair Trade goods. I buy good, fresh, seasonal, local food. Or, if I'm buying imports, I buy from a firm whose ethical policies I trust, whether they're Fair Trade or not.
We obviously buy Fair Trade but we are seeing a growing trend here in the UK of extortionate prices being charged for fair trade food! So we pick and choose. Fair Trade doesn't have to be more expensive than non fair trade products. Our store is a testament to that!
Some of the arguments against Fair Trade posted so far highlight conflict bewteen environmentalism and humanitarianism. Why do so many people find it impossible to support a wide range of causes? If we're ging to better the world, we'll have to learn to solve problems in parallel, not one by one.
Unfortunately, fairtrade, and especially its relationship to coffee is extremely limited. It's a far too simple solution to the many problems. This is why the idea of Direct Trade has come about in the specialty coffee world. Taking into account direct relationships with the farmers, paying a higher than fairtrade price, helping the farmers move towards more sustainable farming practises and higher quality coffee.
A couple of good articles about Direct Trade Coffee:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/dining/12coff.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/22/business/worldbusiness/22coffee.html?fta=y
Some of the arguments against Fair Trade posted so far highlight conflict bewteen environmentalism and humanitarianism. Why do so many people find it impossible to support a wide range of causes? If we're ging to better the world, we'll have to learn to solve problems in parallel, not one by one.
I shop a whole lot at Trader Joe's. It is there that I buy my fair trade items. I do not find them to be horribly expensive there, either. I have also bought fair trade at a local co-op, where I thought the prices were reasonable also.
It all depends on your focus and intent...your life philosophy, if something is too expensive. It reminds me of Dickens' "Christmas Carol."
First of all. Trader Joe's supports animal cruelty. Second of all. I buy local stuff so I am supporting my own area.Third, I really don't need the stuff they sell so no I don't buy it.
Doesn't shipping all that stuff cause a lot of pollution? The trader Joe thing, he use chickens kept in batteries for his eggs etc.
Doing ‘A World of Good’
http://madsilence.wordpress.com/2008/06/21/doing-a-world-of-good
Fair Trade is a great alternative right now to fixing the problem, but it is by no way an end its simply an alternative to the current system.
Steps should be made to change this entire system too, though it is a good thing to buy fair trade as long as you know that this is all you can do at the current time and is by now way the solution to the problem simply the alternative.