Changing the world with consumption by choosing fair trade

by mittag jewelry

I used to like drinking latte when I first started to drink coffee, especially when I drank starbxxxs ,I always added milk, added matcha, added cream, added caramel, added chocolate. However, with gradually knowing coffee better, I began to like the original taste of black coffee, occasionally added some sugar sinking at the bottom as an Espresso tasting, feel the final taste returning to sweet. I recently even prefer to drink single origin coffee, because it can feel the characteristics of each coffee. However, when buying coffee beans, in addition to looking at the brand, origin, acidity, baking depth, unique aroma, I will also prefer fair trade coffee. So what is fair trade? This blog is to talk about the concept of fair trade.

Many people know fair trade starts with coffee and chocolate (me too), but in fact, there are many kinds of fair trade products, except for coffee, chocolate, sugar and other agricultural products, like cotton, and even precious metals such as gold have the option of fair trade certified! And the products made from fair trade raw materials are even more numerous, it is estimated that there are more than 30,000 fair trade products in the world! For example, women's skin care products and cosmetics, the clothing we wear all have fair trade options, and even fair trade hotels, all items in the hotel are fair trade products! Fair trade is closely related to our lives, in fact, the amount of global fair trade products is growing every year. Every time we choose fair trade consumption, we can directly help the source producers and establish a more equal business supply and demand system!

We invite you to watch the following video. This video conveys the simple message that consumers can choose to purchase the products with the "Fairtrade Label" on the package to help the producers having better production quality and a better working environment (including school education, medical equipment), producers can obtain a fair payment price, so they can focus more on protecting the environment and sustainable development.

Ever thought about it? Under the global free trade system, unfairness is neglected , small farmers and producers in third world countries are often the most vulnerable group. They work hard, but they have no chance to escape poverty. They often have to work in a dangerous working environment (such as the mining industry), they sacrifice their own safety to obtain a meager income; therefore, fair trade is mainly concerned with business activities from "developing countries to developed countries" and promoting consumers to pay a "fair price" buying goods from vulnerable producers. The "fair price" is a mutually agreed price reached through a joint agreement between the buyer and the seller and an impartial third party. It not only includes production cost considerations, but also conforms to the principle of social justice and provides fair compensation to vulnerable producers. Fair traders must also ensure that payments are made to their partner producers as quickly as possible to help producers survive the pre-production financial situation.

In addition, fair trade also ensures that producers are provided with a healthy and safe working environment; if children are involved in local production, they cannot affect the child's complete growth, safety and education requirements, and must also comply with United Nations child rights practices and local regulations. In terms of labor rights, fair trade pays more attention to the principle of gender equality and equal pay for equal work for men and women appropriately and fairly. Fair trade advocates a transparent management and business model, with equal and mutual respect to get along with trading partners, to establish a reliable supply chain, so that consumers can clearly trace the source of products, and actively encourage producers to use environmental protection practices and responsible production methods that are environmentally friendly, sustainable, and better and healthier. Therefore, nearly 85% of the fair trade certified coffee is also organic coffee that is more beneficial to the environment and workers' health. So producers who get fair trade help can also provide better and healthier products to consumers.

Trade not aid, fair trade is not charity, but provides producers with a fair and sustainable way to improve their livelihoods, giving them a real opportunity to escape the vicious circle of poverty and create opportunities for the economically disadvantaged producers, so they no longer need to rely on donor assistance. Improve the unfairness of free trade, the lack of capital technology, and the unequal relationship with advanced countries through transparent supply chains, conscientious transactions, and ethical consumption. Fair trade promotes the fairness of social policies such as fair treatment of workers' rights, gender equality, environmentally sustainable protection and child welfare, and gives priority to producers' interests, rather than the profit of intermediate traders. Therefore, products with Fairtrade labels representing the friendly value to people, society and the environment.

The following film allows us to understand the fair trade operation process in just three minutes. Through fair trade, we can help farmers to stop fighting alone, to form cooperatives in a democratic way, purchase production tools together, introduce water facilities, and build hospitals or transforming into organic agriculture (fair trade actively promotes environmental protection and prohibits genetically modified crops). We sincerely like to invite you to watch it together.

Take mittag jewelry as an example, in terms of the criteria for purchasing goods, we usually choose Taiwanese products as the first choice. Taiwan non-produced parts, we go with fair trade products, so in coffee room, our coffee or cocoa products are usually fair trade certified, and the rest is Taiwanese brands biscuits and snacks. And, in general, the daily purchase of vegetables and fresh food, we particularly like to buy agricultural products directly from Taiwanese small farmers, because to understand the small farmers themselves, we can understand more about the quality of their agricultural products, but the most important thing is that direct purchases with small farmers can make sure that small farmers get the income they deserve, we believe that this is also a way to support fair trade in our own way. Use the consumption to change the world and make sure that the producer receives the reward he/she deserves, this is the starting point for fair trade.

Where to buy fair trade goods?
To support fair trade, we can buy fair trade goods at the following malls: Taiwan's fairtrade certifiers include OKO Green, COCO de VIDA, BJORGAAS Foundation, and TWINE, which can be found in the certifier's online store. In the supermarket channels, such as Carrefour, Lafe Supermarket, Cotton Field Organic, Leezen, Jasons market, Wellcome Supermarket, as well as MAJI FOOD & DELI and All Taiwan Eslite can find fairtrade certification products! As long as you see the "Little Man Waving in the Blue Sky Greenland" stamp on the product, it is a fair trade product!

In addition, starting in May 2020, mittag jewelry was the first to introduce the "Fairmined" certification mark established by ARM (Alliance for Responsible Mining), becoming the only jewelry brand in Taiwan that uses fair trade precious metals to provide you more choices of fair trade commodity types besides food.

#Fairtrade
#Changing the world with consumption
#Trade not aid
#Genetically modified

Remarks:

1. Definition of fair trade: "Fair trade is a partnership of trade activities based on dialogue, transparency and mutual respect. It aims to pursue greater fairness in international transactions, to provide more equitable terms of trade and to ensure the rights of those marginalized workers and producers ( In particular, the Southern Hemisphere）are committed to sustainable development, and the Fair trade Organization actively participates in activities that support producers, cognitive enhancements, and programs that aim to change traditional international trade practices."
2. 2. The definition of fair trade is defined by FINE through the informal exchange of the four fair trade organizations. “FINE refers to a Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International, the International Fair Trade Association, the Network of European Worldshops and European Fair Trade Association. In 1998, the above four organizations formed FINE, an informal coalition aimed at coordinating fair trade standards and guidelines, improving the quality and efficiency of the fair trade surveillance system, and politically promoting fair trade.

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