Fair Trade is important because conventional "free trade" often leaves farmers and artisans living in extreme poverty, sometimes even facing malnutrition and starvation when world market prices swing dramatically. These are the conditions that have led in some cases to the use of illegal child labor, including child slave labor, and to the use of unsustainable environmental practices such as cutting down trees in the rainforest.

Fair Trade, by contrast, ensures that farmers and artisans are paid a living wage, and that the products they produce aren't made in sweatshops or by exploited child laborers. Fair Trade also promotes production techniques that will not harm the environment.

Global Exchange is proud to be a long-time promoter of Fair Trade. In honor of Fair Trade Month, we have some great products and action tools available for you -- especially surrounding Halloween. All the details are below!

Order a Fair Trade Trick or Treat Action Kit!

Halloween is the time when chocolate companies like Nestle USA enjoy their biggest sales to children. Unfortunately, chocolate is no treat for the hundreds of thousands of child cocoa laborers that work helping their families on farms or even toil as slaves. Illegal child labor is a major problem at cocoa farms in West Africa, especially the Ivory Coast, which supplies 40 percent of the world's cocoa.

There is a solution -- Fair Trade Certified Chocolate -- and Global Exchange is asking for your help in promoting Fair Trade chocolate this Halloween. Fair Trade guarantees farmers a fair price for their cocoa, so they can feed their families and keep their kids in school. Fair Trade does not allow abusive child labor or forced labor.

Our Fair Trade Trick or Treat Action Kit includes a bag of Equal Exchange Fair Trade chocolate candy (42 individual pieces); 42 festive Fair Trade kids postcards addressed to Nestle CEO Brad Alford; traditional papel picado Mexican party streamers; and a large, colorful Fair Trade is Boo-tiful poster, proclaiming your home a Fair Trade Trick-or-Treat household, all bundled together in a Halloween bag perfect for Trick or Treating! *If you already have Fair Trade trick-or-treat candy and decorations, email fairtrade@globalexchange.org for a complimentary poster and kids postcards.

Celebrate Fair Trade Month and Save $$

The holidays are coming up, and we've got gifts for everyone on your list. Why not buy your niece or nephew a Fair Trade alpaca teddy bear or your father or mother a Brazilian Fair Trade wooden playing card box for Christmas or Chanukah or Kwanzaa? Global Exchange's Online Store has many wonderful Fair Trade gift items at http://www.gxonlinestore.org and a special promotion for Fair Trade Month: a 10% discount on all orders of $20 or more (enter Coupon Code ftm2006 during checkout to receive discount).

Introducing Global Exchange's Own Line of Fair Trade Chocolate!

After years of requests and hopeful inquiries, Global Exchange is proud to introduce its new line of Fair Trade, organic chocolates! We'll be offering chocolate confections in a variety of flavors, including chocolate crème, caramel, and toffee almond. You can buy anywhere from two pieces of chocolate to a whole party tub.

Would you like to sell Global Exchange chocolate to raise funds for your group? Global Exchange chocolate is available at wholesale rates to fundraisers and businesses interested in carrying the line. If you're interested in wholesale information and rates, please call 800-505-4410 or email your information request to tex@globalexchange.org with "wholesale chocolate info" in the subject line, and we will email you information about our program.