SHOP WELL: The Hunt for Fair Trade

FAIR TRADE PLEDGE

“I pledge to consume responsibly. I recognize that as a consumer, my buying power matters. I understand that each product I purchase plays a role in a larger narrative, affecting the life of an individual. Because of this, I will do my best to purchase products that have been made by hands that are treated fairly. I will seek to support supply chains that treat farmers and workers fairly and demand the assurance that items I buy have been made responsibly from start to finish. This means no tolerance for child or slave labor, dangerous working conditions or substandard pay. I will no longer support systems of oppression and will insist that companies I trust operate with a conscience.”

Click here to sign the pledge and learn more at GoodandFreeClothing.com!

Reading the Free2Work’s report card for apparel brands lead me to investigate a couple brands that scored well but that I had never heard of. I wondered if they had products I would want to buy. While at the incredibly-difficult-to-navigate-if-you-actually-want-to-find-an-article-of-clothing-to-buy website of Good&Fair Clothing… (breath) I found the Fair Trade Pledge that I just shared with you. Along with the pledge, Good&Fair shared ideas to help live it out. There is one idea of theirs I’d like to highlight and it’s very simple: Start LOOKING for fair trade items at your grocery store.

The Hunt for Fair Trade

Lately, I’ve been asking, “How can I buy more products that were made fairly?” instead of asking, “How can I avoid buying products made with slave labor?” It stresses me out less when I stop thinking that EVERYTHING I buy has to be fair trade. But being on the hunt for the fair trade symbol has helped me find products that I can feel good about. By purchasing fair trade products more often, I’m voting with my cash — voting for justice and supporting brands who do the same. I think that makes a difference.

So look for the fair trade symbol while you’re shopping this week. Maybe you’ll find a product you really enjoy that you can feel good about purchasing I’ve found that the organic aisle is more likely to hold products with the fair trade symbol. There’s a connection there — products that are good for your body, good for the environment, and good for the workers who produce it. I found HonstTea (an organically grown, fairly harvested, fair trade tea product). It was delicious and I think I’ll get it again! I wonder what we’ll find when we’re on the hunt for fair trade. Let’s keep our eyes peeled and think about the Fair Trade Pledge that Good&Fair Clothing so kindly made up for us.

SHOP WELL SERIES:

1: How Do I Shop Like an Abolitionist?

2: Report Card for Your Clothes

3: The Hunt for Fair Trade

4: On Second-Hand Shopping

Related articles

• Fair Trade Coffee is trendy – Fair trade Clothes are not (iamfinkle.wordpress.com)
• New Mother’s Day Campaign Celebrates the Inspirational Women of Fair Trade (prnewswire.com)
• Fair trade.. If you know what I mean? (ourlittleplanetblog.wordpress.com)