Popularity Of Fair Trade
How popular is Fair Trade?
Fair Trade is growing at a rapid rate in popularity, considering it is a fairly young movement. It is amazing to see how companies like Transfare nearly double or have a 75% or so increase every year in the amount of Fair Trade coffee they're certifying, which indicates there is a real demand in that particular market for Fair Trade coffee. Ten thousand villages, for instance, is growing - within five years we plan on doubling the size of the amount of purchases that we are making for the artisan groups that we support. All of that growth is based on a continuing increase in demand for Fair Trade products. In numbers, Fair Trade makes up a small amount of international trade, but it is a growing amount and even with the niche that Fair Trade now has on international trademark, in October of 2006 there were approximately one and a half million who were benefiting directly from Fair Trade relationships. Even in terms of its growing movement, it is rapidly gaining popularity, and that is what's exciting about it.
How quickly is Fair Trade growing?
Fair Trade is expanding at a very quick rate. In terms of the big picture, it makes up a minority, but a growing minority of the total amount of international trade. There are companies that are Fair Trade startup companies that are doubling in size in just a few years. The amount of Fair Trade coffee that is sold is growing by large margins every single year, and it indicates an increased demand by consumers that they want Fair Trade goods available for purchase.
Why is Fair Trade so popular?
It seems common sense why people would decide for Fair Trade, when you consider that you can make a difference with your purchase. It makes sense why people would choose to buy Fair Trade, and as people become aware, we will see Fair Trade become even more popular. The challenge to the popularity of Fair Trade is that often, these questions are not on people's radars. For that reason, they dont know to ask it. As people become aware of the Fair Trade issues, and also the options that are available, Fair Trade will just continue to grow because there is really no reason why it shouldn't if it is this easy to be able to help people around the world.
How can I help spread the word about Fair Trade?
The growth of Fair Trade has been most significantly led by people who become aware of the issues and then begin to just talk about it with their friends. There are a lot of options that are available and organisations that will support you in doing things like throwing Fair Trade house parties, or hosting community events. Faith communities have been a great place where people have become very aware about Fair Trade and the options available. Focussing on what you can do within your own network - whether it's at your church or with a different kind of social group that you're involved in, or even just your group of friends. By focussing on the people that are around you and making sure that you let those people know what questions they should be asking, and what things they should be looking for.
Why aren't Fair Trade products more readily available?
This issue is certainly one of awareness. As more people see the options that are out there, and as consumer demand increases, we will see even more Fair Trade options. Because it is a consumer-based movement, the availability of Fair Trade goods really depends upon consumer demand for those goods. If we had more people that would go into their grocery stores, for instance, asking about the availability of Fair Trade bananas, then we would see an increase in Free Trade, as people would realize that that is what their market wants, which just makes sense in terms of business for them to start carrying that. As the movement grows we'll see more availability of Fair Trade products, and those products that we buy on a normal basis, and the way to expedite that growth is for consumers to start demanding that those options become available for them.
Where can I find out more about Fair Trade?
One of the best options available is to get online and do some research. A great place to start is www.pasadenavillages.com or www.tenthousandvillages.com. From there you can link up with other groups. Have a look at some of the major groups that support Fair Trade like the Fair Trade Federation, or IFAT, the International Fair Trade Association, as those are great places to link up with organizations that are doing Fair Trade stuff. TransFairs website is another great place to go and to be able to look at - TransFair has a Where To Buy section, so you can actually look at who's carrying fair-trade certified products. Doing a little bit of research and connecting with an organization is often a gateway into connecting with a whole network of people who are doing Fair Trade stuff, and some of it may already be happening in your community.
What businesses are attracted to Fair Trade?
In the end, businesses do what makes sense for what their customers want. Businesses want to make their customers happy, thus the kind of business that takes their customers demands or their customers buying choices seriously, are going to listen to the consumer when they want Fair Trade options available. Businesses that want to make their customers happy are going to need to make those options available.
What is the number one Fair Trade product?
The number one Fair Trade product is coffee. Coffee is the world's second biggest traded commodity next to oil, and thus it is a huge market. Fair trade producers have been able to benefit a great deal from consumers who are buying fair trade coffee. It is definitely, in terms of dollars and also availability, the fair trade product that is out there in the market the most. There are others that are catching up - even fair trade bananas is an example of a product that is quickly growing in popularity. Coffee is number one, but there are certainly other fair trade products that are growing.
