Good News for a Change
This summer I had the opportunity to work as a volunteer in the Communications Department of CRS. The main project I worked on was helping to put together this year’s Good News for a Change, a yearly release which highlights five current events that are benefiting people living in the developing world. One of the topics which will be included this year is the continuing growth of fair trade in the United States. As I was researching the fair trade movement I was impressed and thrilled to see just how much growth has taken place. Since 2005, the annual amount of premium dollars (money which is specifically allocated for the development of the communities in which the fair trade products originated) that has been generated by U.S. sales has increased by more than a thousand percent. It makes sense that fair trade is on the rise. It’s a business model for an improving world.
Throughout the course of history it has not been uncommon for profits to be made without true consideration being taken of the human cost.The information age we now live in is changing that. People are more connected than they have ever been, and with that connectedness has come understanding. We understand now that a pound of coffee, a shirt, or a bar of chocolate is more than a commodity. These products represent the livelihoods of producers around the world. It was never that people didn’t care exploitation was taking place, so much as it was that most people didn’t know and the rest often lacked a tangible way to help. With more knowledge and the increased availability of the fair trade market, businesses and consumers are now taking action. The ability to buy fair trade has essentially turned each consumer dollar into a vote for a more just world.
There are two primary reasons that fair trade is exploding across the market. The first is that the basic principle it embodies strikes a chord in people. It has often been said that life, and the world, aren’t fair. But the truth is that every fiber of our being wants it to be. There is an innate sense of justice in each of us which demands that the world be equitable and that, among other things, if we do a day’s work we will earn a day’s pay. The second reason fair trade has such a broad and growing base of supporters is that as members of the same human family, we feel compassion for people we have not met and care deeply how our choices affect families we don’t know. Quite simply, it is that people love, which truly is good news for a change.
Guest Post by Ben Backe, CRS Communications Intern
I’d like to suggest a third reason for the recent growth in demand for fair trade products. It’s just good business! Learning lessons from the 2008 financial crisis, smart businesses now focus on sustainability and not just short-term profits. By supporting fair trade, businesses ensure that their entire supply chain is healthy, providing long-term profits and growth.