Global Exchange's Fair Trade Program provides a sustainable model of international trade based on economic justice. We offer consumers the opportunity to purchase beautiful, high quality gifts, housewares, jewelry, clothing, decor, and more from producers that were paid a fair price for their work. We tell the stories of the cultures and families, primarily indigenous peoples and women, that created these amazing crafts from counties such as Indonesia, South Africa, Haiti, Guatemala, Kenya, Mexico, Cambodia, Nepal, Thailand, as well as the United States. As an alternative to sweatshop production, our Fair Trade Crafts Stores generate income for thousands of artisans and their families in over 40 countries. Fair Trade means an equitable and fair partnership between marketers in North America and producers in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

"A US News poll shows that 6 in 10 Americans are concerned about the working conditions under which products are made in the United States and more than 9 in 10 are concerned about the working conditions under which products are made in Asia and Latin America."
  -- US News & World Report, December 16, 1996.

In past years we witnessed a huge increase in the number of consumers demanding products which are made without sweatshop labor. But Fair Trade isn't just about being Sweat-Free; it sets a high standard for what is possible in international trade.

Fair Trade Criteria include:

• Paying a fair wage in the local context
• Offering employees opportunities for advancement
• Providing equal employment opportunities for all people
• Engaging in environmentally sustainable practices
• Being open to public accountability
• Building long-term trade relationships
• Providing healthy and safe working conditions within the local context
• Providing financial and technical assistance to producers whenever possible
• Ensuring that there is no abuse of child labor

Fair Trade Benefits:

• Values and preserves traditonal cultures
• Generates fair income for thousands of artisans around the world
• Educates consumers about trade and cultures
• Promotes people-to-people ties among artisans, traders, and consumers
• Gender equity: 70% of craft artisans are women
• Provides resources for education, health care, and community development
• Promotes environmental stewardship
• Supplements income in between harvest cycles, when rural communities most need income
• Promotes democratic participation in cooperative group structures
• Ensures that artistic technologies in indigenous cultures are passed on to the next generations

International trade has been an historical link between peoples of the world. It can be used merely to increase corporate profits, or to promote intercultural understanding, grassroots development and economic justice. Together we can create more awareness of international consumer power and the need to make responsible consumer choices through supporting the sustainable alternative of Fair Trade.

Global Exchange is working with Fair Traders across North America and throughout the world to increase awareness of Fair Trade issues and to translate that awareness into consumer activism in the global marketplace.

Global Exchange is part of the Fair Trade Federation, an association of producers, wholesalers, and retailers, that is launching a major consumer education campaign in the U.S.

Fair Trade labels like Rugmark from India will soon guarantee to U.S. and European consumers that particular products meet basic social criteria - no child labor was used in weaving the South Asian rugs that carry the Rugmark stamp of approval.

Consumer campaigns are pressuring large transnational companies, like Nike, to take responsibility for sub-contracted manufacturers who pay foreign workers pennies a day to assemble products that earn millions of dollars of profit for a few CEOs.

What you can do:

• Make a commitment to Fair Trade. Challenge yourself to shift a percentage of the money you spend every month on gifts, housewares, toys, and coffee to Fair Trade products. This will make a big difference in the lives of artisans and farmers worldwide. Check out our online store.

• Ask for fairly traded crafts and coffee where you shop. Drop a note in the suggestion box at your local grocery or import store. Let businesses that do carry fairly traded products know that you appreciate their support of fair trade.

• Get Involved in the Fair Trade movement! In the US, contact the Fair Trade Federation for information on how you can help build Fair Trade in your community.

• Encourage your community organization or workplace to purchase Fair Trade products for fundraisers, employee rewards, and organizational gifts. Serve Fair Trade coffee at coffee hour or other events.

• Promote Fair Trade in your community!

• Share Fair Trade products with your friends and neighbors. Let them know about the difference that their purchasing choices make in the lives of crafts producers and farming communities in the Third World.