Fair Trade and Fair Trade Laws
- Submitted by: bluewooley
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- Category: Politics: Political Science
- Date Submitted: 11/13/2011 06:01 PM
- Pages: 5
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Fair Trade and Fair Trade Laws
We can see trace roots of Fair Trade as far back as the late 1930’s initiated by churches in North American and in Europe. The goal of these organizations was to provide relief to many refuges and other impoverished communities who were selling their hand made items to different markets. “These Alternative Trade Organizations” offered higher returns to producers in the developing world through direct trade and fair prices” (TransFair USA, n.d.).
Fair Trade laws allowed manufacturers to stipulate minimum retail prices for their products and to require dealers to sign contracts agreeing to abide by these prices. (Boone & Kurtz, 2010, p.610). I know that they say some retailers are charging higher than the market prices for commodities that are Fair Trade Certified, but I think that the few pennies more they are charging is worth the benefits to these small farmers and their communities. With today’s emphasis on ‘going green’ I think that marketers need to accentuate Fair Trade, Eco-friendly and bio-degradable.
Critics say Fair Trade will cause an influx in the number of small farmers who want to own their own small coffee farm. I think they need to do their research and see that these farmers are not becoming millionaires because of Fair Trade. They are becoming self-sustaining honest farmers, who can educate their children and afford needed health care for their families. I for one do not think that there would be a substantial amount people who would want to go into a back breaking, hot, labor intensive, 365 days a year business that will allow them to barely eke out a living.
Fair Trade was a natural response to the increasing gap in income and the fact
those globalization efforts were taking place in the 1970’s. “Those who advocated fair trade believed in the principles of democratic organizations, recognized trade unions, decent working conditions, outlawing child labor, environmental...
We can see trace roots of Fair Trade as far back as the late 1930’s initiated by churches in North American and in Europe. The goal of these organizations was to provide relief to many refuges and other impoverished communities who were selling their hand made items to different markets. “These Alternative Trade Organizations” offered higher returns to producers in the developing world through direct trade and fair prices” (TransFair USA, n.d.).
Fair Trade laws allowed manufacturers to stipulate minimum retail prices for their products and to require dealers to sign contracts agreeing to abide by these prices. (Boone & Kurtz, 2010, p.610). I know that they say some retailers are charging higher than the market prices for commodities that are Fair Trade Certified, but I think that the few pennies more they are charging is worth the benefits to these small farmers and their communities. With today’s emphasis on ‘going green’ I think that marketers need to accentuate Fair Trade, Eco-friendly and bio-degradable.
Critics say Fair Trade will cause an influx in the number of small farmers who want to own their own small coffee farm. I think they need to do their research and see that these farmers are not becoming millionaires because of Fair Trade. They are becoming self-sustaining honest farmers, who can educate their children and afford needed health care for their families. I for one do not think that there would be a substantial amount people who would want to go into a back breaking, hot, labor intensive, 365 days a year business that will allow them to barely eke out a living.
Fair Trade was a natural response to the increasing gap in income and the fact
those globalization efforts were taking place in the 1970’s. “Those who advocated fair trade believed in the principles of democratic organizations, recognized trade unions, decent working conditions, outlawing child labor, environmental...