• Opportunities for disadvantaged producers 
  
• Transparency and accountability 
• Fair trade practices 
• Fair payment 
• No child labor or forced labor 
• No gender discrimination 
• Supports gender equity, freedom of association 
• Good working conditions 
• Capacity building 
• Promote fair trade 
• Respect for the environment

Fair trade promotes mutually beneficial partnerships that support both artisans and their communities while also supporting those who sell their products in the global market. Fair trade is about creating positive and long-term change through trade-based relationships which build self-sufficiency. Its success depends on independent, successfully-run organizations and businesses – not on handouts. While many fair trade organizations support charitable projects in addition to their work in trade, the exchange of goods remains the key element of their work.

Fair trade has grown over the past 70+ years to include a wide variety of agricultural and handcrafted goods, such as baskets, clothing, cotton, home and kitchen decor, jewelry, rice, shoes, soap, tea, toys, wine, and more. Although coffee and chocolate is a good starting point for those who are new to fair trade, you can find other fair trade options these days, especially online!

Be aware that some stores or products may claim to be fair trade, but may or may not follow global fair trade standards. Some retailers only offer select products that are fair trade and others that are not. If you don’t see much information provided about the product that claims to be fair trade, be sure to ask the retailer for more details about where the product was made and by whom. 

The simplest way to be assured you are purchasing fair trade is to look for the the Fair Trade Federation label which verifies businesses that offer only fair trade products, also known as 360° fair trade.