More and more often, CRS Fair Trade is asked: how do I know if a product is Fair Trade? What is behind the label from a company selling Fair Trade? Does Fair Trade really work for the poor?

These are excellent questions which mirror some of CRS’ own ongoing considerations about the shifting landscape of Fair Trade.  Recently we convened a task force of a dozen global staff on three continents  to consider what trading approaches work for farmers and what certification schemes are credible for consumers.  We also entered into intentional dialogue with our partners and allies, and recently joined the leadership council of the North American Fair Trade summit to be held in May 2012.  Over the course of the next 6 to 9 months  we anticipate participation in key events such as this one, a series of consultations with our stakeholders, and internal due diligence.  Our hope is to announce a revised partnership structure by the end of our fiscal year, i.e. September 30. 2012.

CRS’ work with coffee farmers in Latin America and our investments in small-scale projects through the Fair Trade Fund over the past decade reflect a commitment to programs that result in tangible impacts on the lives of those we serve.  Our organizational mission also reflects that commitment.  Twenty-five years ago the U.S. Catholic Bishops noted:  “…The economy should serve people, not the other way around.”   To the Church, the purpose of an economy is to promote development and to respect the dignity of all.  In Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI notes that the consumer has a specific social responsibility, which goes hand-in-hand with the social responsibility of [an] enterprise.  Fair Trade creates opportunities for Catholics to respond to this call through the choices we make as consumers.

In CRS’ experience overseas and in the U.S. marketplace, trading models based on direct relationships between producers and buyers have delivered important developmental benefits for producing communities. They have also created valuable opportunities for the meaningful engagement of U.S. consumers with producers and other value-chain actors committed to fair and sustainable trade.  For CRS, trade can make the most impact if it is not simply based on the acts of selling or buying products.  Fair Trade is a proven way to enter a network of human relationships that respect human dignity, promote economic justice, and cultivate a true spirit of solidarity.   That’s why CRS encourages Catholic institutions and individuals to purchase Fair Trade products through our CRS Fair Trade partners.

CRS has chosen to partner with companies that have made a full commitment to Fair Trade principles.  One way to do this is by earning membership in the Fair Trade Federation.  Another way is to have entire product lines certified by Fair Trade USA.  However, in recognition of new certifications, such as Fair for Life and CLAC´s Small Producers’ Symbol as the well as the departure of Fair Trade USA from Fairtrade International, CRS Fair Trade is reevaluating, together with our partners and allies, the standards of each certification system, the methods of enforcing those standards, and the benefits to the poor whom we serve.  We also continue to experiment with and evaluate development strategies in the field, intentionally creating opportunities to learn what works best for farmers.

Partnership is fundamental to how CRS sees itself in the world.  Our belief that solidarity will transform the world inspires our commitment to right relationships with those we serve. We build relationships in collaboration with organizations closest to those in need.  Partnership can take many forms including donors, peer agencies, and beneficiaries.  During this period of discernment regarding our partnership requirements, we want to be clear that our current list of Fair Trade partners remains the same.  We warmly and proudly recognize the following companies as examples of businesses that reflect the values of Catholic Social Teaching on the economy and advance the CRS vision of sustainable trade:

1.      Café Campesino,  Americus, GA
2.      Coffee-Tea-Etc., Goshen, CT
3.      Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee Company, Orange, MA
4.      Earth Friendly Coffee Company, Wheat Ridge, CO
5.      Equal Exchange, West Bridgewater, MA and Portland, OR
6.      Grounds for Change, Poulsbo, WA
7.      Higher Grounds Trading Company, Traverse City, MI
8.      Just Coffee, Madison, WI
9.      Larry’s Beans,  Raleigh, NC
10.   Nectar of Life,  Spokane, WA
11.   Peace Coffee,  Minneapolis, MN
12.   Providence Coffee,  Faribault, MN
13.   Pura Vida,  Seattle, WA
14.   SERRV, Madison, WI
15.  Sweetwater Organic Coffee, Gainesville, FL

These organizations have each exemplified CRS partnership principles such as “sharing a vision for addressing the underlying causes of suffering and injustice,” and encouraging “transparency” in their business/trading practices.  They are all also generous contributors to the CRS Fair Trade Fund.   Over the years, each business in its own unique and inspiring ways has earned our trust.

We encourage Catholic individuals and institutions to continue their support of these Fair Trade businesses.  We also urge you to stay faithful to the Fair Trade movement.  While there is no doubt that  change in the movement can be disorienting, many exciting new developments are occurring.  There are many groups, businesses, and communities working toward global solidarity. For efforts to strengthen the movement to succeed, the movement needs informed and engaged participants.  CRS welcomes dialogue with current supporters, partners, and allies, as well as new individuals and institutions, as we work together to create an economy for everyone.

Tell us what YOU think our standards for partnership should be, and why.

The Arriola family is preparing for Lent. What are your plans?

As Lent rolls around each year, people ask themselves what they’re going to give up. It’s often chocolate, coffee, TV, a particular luxury item. However, some people ask, “What extra thing can I to add to my Lenten observance?” It might be a few hours of volunteering or spending more time with family or friends or being more mindful to set aside some time for prayer each day.

Lent, which begins next month, offers us six weeks to enter deeply into the work of returning and rebuilding a loving relationship with God and with other people. Lent is about something more, not something less.

While this might seem like a clever way of making sure fair trade coffee and chocolate are mindfully consumed throughout the Lenten season, Catholic Relief Services invites you to do something more during Lent, by offering simple but powerful ways to help us return to a right relationship with God and bring our Catholic faith to life .

Through CRS’ Operation Rice Bowl, you can pray, fast and give alms for the poor around the world who are served by CRS while living out our call to serve the hungry, the poor, and the lonely.  Here are some ways to participate:

• Read daily reflections and weekly stories from beneficiaries of CRS’ programs in the Lenten Calendar.  Fair Traders may find stories from Madagascar and El Salvador of particular interest.
• Prepare one of the recipes of simple, meatless meals from different countries each Friday during Lent.
• Sign-up to receive the Weekly Reflections each Monday for a deeper experience during your Lenten journey.

So, before you decide to give up that Fair Trade coffee or eat less chocolate this Lent, consider instead taking a journey with CRS to Madagascar, Vietnam, El Salvador, Zambia and India, and do something a little extra on behalf of our brothers and sisters around the world.

And don’t forget as Easter approaches to buy fair trade chocolate eggs!

The story of St. Valentine is a murky one – was he martyred Roman?  A defiant temple priest?  Someone only referenced in Chaucer’s poems?  I’ll let you do your own research and decide, but for Fair Trade purposes, let’s focus on Valentine as the Patron Saint of Love.

However, the type of love I want to talk about isn’t the romantic kind, it’s the kind that can be summed up in one word:  agape.   Agape was a favorite of another renowned person, whom we also celebrate at this time of year:  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In 1957 Dr. King gave a speech now known as “The Power of Non-Violence” to a group of Christian youth.  In this speech, he gave an eloquent definition of agape:

“Agape is understanding, creative, redemptive good will for all men. Biblical theologians would say it is the love of God working in the minds of men. It is an overflowing love which seeks nothing in return. And when you come to love on this level you begin to love men not because they are likeable, not because they do things that attract us, but because God loves them…”

This definition of agape is something that resonates for me as a Catholic, and as someone committed to Fair Trade.  To me, agape means loving those who may live on the other side of the globe.  Agape means loving our neighbors who toil daily to grow our coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar and cotton.  Agape means working tirelessly to ensure that everyone receives a fair chance to provide for their families and to live peacefully.  Agape is not just love – agape is solidarity.  Agape means living in solidarity with our impoverished brothers and sisters, and doing everything we can to ensure their livelihoods.

So if you’re planning on celebrating St.Valentine’s Day with loved ones this year, celebrate it agape-style by making your purchases count for these Fair Trade farmers.  Our committed partners at Equal Exchange and SERRV both offer fabulous selections of chocolate that can help you show your Valentine how much you love them, while at the same time living in solidarity with the Fair Trade cocoa farmers that made this special treat happen.

This year, Equal Exchange is having a “My Fair Valentine” special; the order deadline for this and all of their chocolate for delivery by the big day is January 30^th (be sure to let them know you’re a CRS customer!).  SERRV offers Divine Chocolate, and this year they are having a special on foil-wrapped milk, dark, and white chocolate with strawberry hearts; their order deadline for chocolate and handcrafts with delivery by Valentine’s Day is February 6.

Make this St. Valentine’s Day an ethical one by celebrating not just your love of family and friends, but by living in solidarity and celebrating your agape for the Fair Traders of the world.

Fair Traders love to network! Maria, our guest blogger, is seen here with other Fair Traders, top row, third from left.

Recently the national coordinator of United Students for Fair Trade, Maria Louzon, received a scholarship from the CRS Fair Trade Fund to attend the Domestic Fair Trade Association annual meeting.  CRS wanted to help the student movement make connections between global and national Fair Trade.  Here are some reflections from Maria:

Although small, the DFTA sure is mighty! They are a “collaboration of organizations representing farmers, farm workers, food system workers, retailers, manufacturers, processors, and non-governmental organization.” They are pretty unique in that when working with local farmers here in the United States, they are thinking about how their actions will affect the global community of Fair Trade. They truly embody “thinking globally while acting locally.”

Upon my arrival to the Annual Meeting held in San Diego in early December, I knew right away the experience would be valuable just because of the people that were present! Mingling with inspiring individuals such as Jonathan Rosenthal (co-founder of Equal Exchange),  David Bronner (President of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps) and many others made me proud to be involved with Fair Trade during such a pivotal time in the movement.  In fact, I think my most valuable experiences were the networking opportunities: we got to visit to Dr. Bronner’s Headquarters and take part in a North America Fair Trade Summit planning session.

It was great to hear all of the different perspectives on the current state of the Fair Trade movement – from farmers to business owners. I am very thankful that I was able to attend this conference and I look forward to fostering the relationships that I formed during this time!

Celebrate 2012 with a Fair Trade resolutions!

Whether you are new to Fair Trade or you have been with the movement since the days it was called “alternative,” we can all find ways to commit more fully to the Fair Trade values in the New Year.

As we enter into Ordinary Time on our liturgical calendars, we celebrate the life of Jesus – not just his miracles, but also his everyday comings and goings. The CRS Fair Trade handbook tells us that before his ministry began, Jesus would have toiled daily as a carpenter in Joseph’s workshop.  You can support the hard work of present day craftsmen and women by making your New Year’s resolution a Fair Trade resolution.

Below are 10 ways YOU can resolve to support Fair Trade values in 2012 – remember, even committing to just one of these resolutions can have an impact on the lives of Fair Trade farmers and artisans across the globe!

1. For your daily morning pick-me-up, make the switch to Fair Trade coffee.  Last year, 269 million pounds of coffee were sold in the US; 21 million of those pounds (or about 8%) were fairly traded.  Let’s try to push that mark up to at least 10% this year – every cup counts!
2. Use Fair Trade sugar next time you’re making cookies on a cold winter night.  Dean’s Beans, for example, offers bags of both white and brown sugar that are sure to satisfy even the most serious of bakers.
3. A few weeks from now when you finally cave in and break your resolution to limit your social networking (it’s okay, we’ve all tried it…if you make it more than three days you’re already beating me!), join our community on facebook.  Here you’ll find a few posts a week ranging from prayerful reflection to news and updates on the changes in the Fair Trade movement..
4. Commit to buying only Fair Trade chocolate this Valentine’s Day and Easter.  Check out all the varieties from CRS Fair Trade preferred brands: Divine and Equal Exchange
5. Cook your organic chicken or local veggies in Fair Trade olive oil.  Higher Grounds is one CRS partner who offers high-quality products straight from the Holy Land.
6. As you participate in Operation Rice Bowl this Lent, see if you can use Fair Trade ingredients to complete the ORB recipes. Rice, beans, chili, nuts and chutneys are only a few of the available ingredients.
7. Host a Work of Human Hands consignment sale in your parish this spring.  This is a great way for you to become more involved n the movement and to educate your community about the impacts of Fair Trade.
8. Buy Fair Trade birthday gifts for your friends and family this year.  SERRV carries a wide range of items from kitchen utensils to pillows to one-of-a-kind cultural treasures – AND right now much of it is 25% off during their after-Christmas sale!
9. Do more than shop with solidarity.  Sign up for the Catholics Confront Global Poverty newsletter to receive updates on how you can support CRS’ economic justice efforts in the coming year.  You can also sign up for the CRS Fair Trade newsletter, the Fair Trader, for once every other month emails about the movement.
10. Make economic justice for all part of your daily prayers.  Just as every cup of coffee counts, so too does every voice lifted up in prayer for our Fair Trade brethren across the globe.

Thank you for your support of CRS Fair Trade, and we wish you a peaceful and just New Year!

In my frugal circle of friends, the week AFTER Christmas is when lots of shopping occurs.  Lots of us are on vacation and looking for deals.  There are so many great bargains on items that didn’t sell before the holiday.  The Work of Human Hands catalog is no exception.  If you are doing a little post-holiday shopping, visit Work of Human Hands on line now for marked down offerings.

You don’t have to worry that your shopping savvy is taking advantage of the poor.  The artisans who hand-crafted the items have already been paid.  In fact, a Fair Trade practice is that 50% cash is delivered when a wholesale order is placed.

This classy black and white scarf is on sale.

Enjoy the bargains, and thank you for your support of Fair Trade.

This morning my sister’s packed mini-van headed out of the neighborhood for the long drive home to Atlanta, after a wonderful Christmas weekend. In addition to packed lunches and cookie care packages, the family is equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) on the dash-board, not to mention my nephews’ smart phones.

As 2011 winds down, it seems that Fair Traders are also revving up their directional devices.  We’ve shared much in CRS blogspace space about Fair Trade USA’s departure on January 1, 2012 from Fairtrade International (FI), as it seeks more Fair Trade for All.   The controversial move  has created, once again, debate about the purpose of Fair Trade, its aims and its approaches.

FI is experiencing changes and convulsions of its own.  An end-of-the-year investigative series of reports from Bloomberg News called into question the impact and integrity of certification.   Perhaps not coincidentally, the CEO of Fairtrade International (FLO) announced his resignation.

In a more positive direction, a large and diverse group of Fair Trade stakeholders announced an initiative to clarify the direction for the movement in North America.  CRS is among the leadership council, which has started out with about 40-50 nonprofits, advocacy organizations, businesses, producer/farmer/worker groups, academics and others.  We’ve committed to hold conference calls and email discussions over several months culminating in an in-person summit in April.

Fair Traders will convene April 30 – May 2, 2012. Photo: D. Millici for CRS.

In the early stages, the Council seeks to advance these 4 goals for 2012 and beyond:

• Define fair trade and the movement, what they are and what they are not
• Organize the North American fair trade movement under a coordinated infrastructure with a common vision
• Reach agreement on a plan for cooperation and accountability within the movement
• Develop a clear external message for the movement.

Fair Trade Resource Network (FTRN), Fair World Project (FWP), and Domestic Fair Trade Association (DFTA) comprise the Organizing Committee leading the initiative.

CRS Fair Trade will use this blog space to share the processes’ major ideas and highlights, especially in the context of CRS’s work in almost 100 countries.  As always, we invite comments from our readers, in the spirit of dialogue transparency and respect.  We need your help in staying the course for economic justice, as well as charting new directions.  The voice of those committed to fair trade principles is better than any GPS gizmo on the market.

For weeks now, we have been encouraging you to buy Fair Trade Christmas gifts that reflect the values of Catholic social teaching.  You’ve hosted Work of Human Hands craft sales.  You’ve brewed pots of Fair Trade coffee for parish gatherings.  You’ve stuffed stockings with Fair Trade chocolate.

To thank you and bring you good cheer this holiday, we share this photo journal from our colleague, Michael Sheridan, taken during travels in the coffeelands of Honduras.  Witness gratitude, hope and peace, and thank you for all you do for economic justice.

“Solidarity.”  We use that word around a lot here at CRS, and invite you to mull over it for just a moment.  What does solidarity mean to you?

As someone rounding out her academic career, including a fair amount of philosophy, I know that  technically solidarity refers to the ties in a society that bind people to one another.  But what does that really look like in action?  Luckily, Advent is the perfect time for a pictorial lesson rather than academic jargon.  Quite simply, solidarity looks like this:

This whitewashed nativity was created by rural women in Bangladesh at The Jute Works.

In Kenya, solidarity looks like this:

This recycled pop can nativity was created by disabled artisans at Bombolulu Workshops.

In Haiti, solidarity looks like this:

This nativity scene was carved from a recycled steel oil drum by artisans from Comite Artisanal Haitien.

And finally, in Mexico, solidarity looks like this:

This floral ceramic nativity was created by indigenous artisans at Casa Romero Workshop.

These renderings of the Holy Family beautifully portray that the arrival of Jesus is the center of this Advent season.   The Nativity seasons inspire us in a tangible way to reflect on the beauty of solidarity.

We invite you to join us on facebook each Sunday of Advent for reflections on how the readings call us to live in solidarity and act as one Fair Trade community in Christ. As you translate your faith into action, make shopping choices that respect the hard work of Fair Trade farmers and artisans and convey a solidarity message.

Consider giving one of these Fair Trade nativities as a gift to someone in your life that is just starting out on their own and may not have one in their new home yet.  If stockings are part of your Christmas celebrations, consider filling them with Fair Trade chocolate this year.  Or simply enjoy a steaming hot cup of Fair Trade coffee. Watch the lights twinkle on your Christmas tree, reflecting on what this scene might look like in a home halfway around the world.

Typically, Thanksgiving is considered a slow news day.  Stories of which turkey the President will pardon and which big-box parking lots will be occupied by bargain-hungry shoppers seem to dominate the media reports.   But this Thanksgiving was different for many in the Fair Trade movement. The New York Times gave front page (albeit in the business section) attention to the recent controversies in the Fair Trade movement.

One colleague of mine referred to the story–which relates reactions to the decision by Fair Trade USA to leave the global Fairtrade certification system–as airing the movement’s dirty laundry.  But I’m glad to see attention being given to the issues “brewing.”   There is a lot at stake for the people that Fair Trade serves.

The words of Merling Preza, general manager of PRODECOOP, in a recent interview with CRS,  keep popping into my mind.  She noted that for small-scale farmers, new certification standards are “…just a theory.”   What works and what doesn’t, who wins and who loses by changing the standards will be tested in the lives of farmers struggling to overcome poverty.   For companies, market share may be lost or gained. For consumers, there may be confusion or consternation.  But for farmers the real impacts will be felt in their wallets, in their democratic organizations, and in their communities.  Then again, there may also be positive changes in the lives of and opportunities for landless workers and unorganized farmers, groups historically left out of the coffee and cocoa certification systems.

Clearly the issues are complex, and emotions are running high.    As we debate and deliberate, a top priority needs to be accuracy (not to mention civility).   Let me take this opportunity to clarify the NY Times quote: ” The logo overload will include a redesigned Fair Trade USA seal; a Fairtrade International seal….; and labels from smaller programs, like one run by Catholic Relief Services.”  

The CRS  Fair Trade logo (seen to the right) is actually just that, a “logo” not a label.    We use it as part of our “branding” or marketing efforts: to identify resources CRS has created (like this website), partners we have united with, conferences we sponsor, etc.

Unlike a certification process of commodity value chains, CRS doesn’t conduct audits, inspections, or other activities to verify that standards are being made from “crop to cup.”   Instead, we recognize as partners those businesses and organizations that go through an independent, third-party process to prove that they are fully-committed to Fair Trade principles and practices.    At the moment, the groups that we look to for that verification are Fair Trade Federation and Fair Trade USA.

For example, when a company such as SERRV applies for, receives, and maintains status in the Fair Trade Federation, CRS considers SERRV eligible to be a CRS partner.   Or when a coffee company like Nectar of Life, purchases 100% of its coffee from farmer cooperatives certified Fair Trade, they are eligible to be in the CRS Fair Trade network.

Both our partners and CRS itself uses the logo to identify our relationship.    We also use the logo to celebrate accomplishments like the awarding of Fair Trade Fund grants, which are made possible from partner contributions based on Catholic-affiliated purchases.  The logo is not a certification label, but it is an endorsement: the companies who use it are businesses we believe in.

Knowing what and who to believe in, especially for a faith-based organization, is something we take very seriously at CRS.  We thank the New York Times for its coverage, and we welcome any questions for further clarification from our readers.