Fairtrade Four

The most popular fruit in the United States, bananas are grown by millions of small-scale farmers and plantation workers in tropical regions facing issues that threaten their livelihoods, including low wages, the severe impact of climate change and occupational hazards. Bananas carrying the Fairtrade America mark on their sticker have been produced by cooperatives or organizations that meet specified social, economic and environmental standards.

Child labor remains a serious concern in cocoa farming due to desperation stemming from low prices paid to producers in developing countries. Fairtrade America enforces the strictest economic, social and environmental criteria available of any fair trade certifier, including the most rigorous scrutiny on child labor. Your Fairtrade chocolate is extra sweet because when companies use Fairtrade ingredients, small-scale farmers are better able to achieve dignified livelihoods that don’t force them to resort to exploitative child labor.

The coffee industry is in crisis. The price of co􀇱fee has hovered around $1/pound in recent years, which is less than it costs to grow. This inequality jeopardizes the livelihoods of millions of small-scale growers around the world. On top of that, coffee farmers are actively experiencing the negative effects of climate change in the form of altered and diminishing harvests, plant diseases and changing weather patterns.

Fairtrade is collaborating directly with farmers not only to ensure they get a sustainable and fair price, but also to make sure they can adapt to the changing environment.

That $3 t-shirt costs more than meets the eye, including slavery and environmental pollution to produce clothing at such a low cost. Purchase pieces made with fair trade certified cotton to ensure farmers are paid a fair price that enables them to invest in their communities and protect their local environment.