The wealthiest 1% of the world owns half of the money that’s in circulation today. That immense amount of money is almost always generated on the backs of people that work in factories and do other blue-collar jobs.
There are a few ways that the world is looking to change this trend.
On the one hand, there is lobbying politicians to create legislation that better supports labor rights. On the other hand, there’s buying fair trade products.
A lot of times when we talk to people about fair trade, their first response is, “What does fair trade mean?”
To set the record straight, our team is going to define fair trade for you and quickly rattle off some ways that you can help support it.
What Does Fair Trade Mean?
Fair trade is a concept where consumers stop buying products at artificially low prices.
For example, when you buy a dozen eggs for $0.69, somebody in the production chain of those eggs (farmers, animals, etc.) is getting the short end of the stick. When you buy the same eggs for 2.99, you’re helping farmers live above the poverty line and are helping animals get treated more humanely.
Fair Trade is paying fair prices for products and services domestically and abroad to stop the abuse of the powerless.
How Can You Support Fair Trade?
Now that you have an answer to our big question “what does fair trade mean” we can now start looking at ways to support fair trade. Here are three quick suggestions:
1. Shop Fair Trade Products
Fair trade products are almost always labeled as being fair trade. If you purchase things like quartz countertops at a fair price as opposed to buying from artificially cheaper competitors, you’ll help fair trade flourish.
2. Ask Companies to Support Fair Trade
Many big companies don’t like the idea of fair trade because it threatens their business model.
Companies like H&M, for example, sell a lot of their shirts for $5.00, jeans for $10.00, etc. The only way that they can do that is by keeping their factory workers in poverty.
Let these companies know that they are charging too little and that you won’t do business with them unless they start taking care of their workers. The more pressure they get, the more likely they’ll be to evaluate their processes.
3. Spread the Word
We wrote this article because we wanted to educate readers on fair trade. Now we ask that you do the same.
Keep learning, keep sharing and keep fighting.
The future of the world is in the hands of people like you and only through information can you make a positive impact on humanity.
Our Final Thoughts on Fair Trade
Anybody that is for humans having a decent quality of life is pro fair trade. We hope that this article moves you to take action and we welcome you to explore the question “what does fair trade mean” deeper by checking out more content on our blog.
