Fairtrade and sustainability - Why does Fair trade mean sustainable trade?
During this Green Month (27th Feb – 27th March), the Students’ Union is highlighting how the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, overlap and interweave into all areas of student life, work and society.
During Fairtrade Fortnight we wanted to show how buying Fairtrade products and supporting the cause is helping promote the Sustainable Development Goals.
The following extracts have been taken from here
Standard of living: income and food security, reduced risk and vulnerability
Fairtrade has been shown to increase living standards and reduce risk and vulnerability for farmers and workers. The Fairtrade Minimum Price provides a safety net for farmers, meaning they are less vulnerable to price volatility. In turn, this can mean a better cash flow, greater access to credit and the ability to save more easily.
Food security is linked closely to economic growth, stable incomes and reduced risk and vulnerability. A better income means more money to buy food and the ability to invest in generating other food sources, such as growing new crops.
Read more on standards of living
Stronger organisations
Fairtrade can enable farmer groups to become stronger businesses. Fairtrade Standards encourage democratic leadership, administrative efficiency, transparent accounting and improved governance. This means that farms are well represented and trust their leadership, which makes the organisation a stronger business partner within the supply chain.
Read more on stronger organisations
Decent Work
Fairtrade Standards aim to protect workers’ basic rights, including a safe working environment, the right to join a trade union and negotiate with their employer on wages and conditions, and prohibiting discrimination and forced or illegal child labour. The Standards also require employers to bridge the gap between actual pay and the
a living wage in their region.
Read more about decent work
Environmental protection and climate change adaptation
Environmental protection is a key element of Fairtrade’s view of sustainability. Fairtrade Standards require smallholder farmer and larger hired labour production set-ups to comply in key areas. The Standards also promote training for farmers, which can include advice on switching to environmentally friendly practices. This has led to good agricultural practices, encouraging environmentally sustainable production. The Standards also guide producers in adapting to climate change and mitigating its impact.
Read more on environmental protection and climate change
Market access and fairer trade
Fairtrade is about doing trade differently. It empowers farmers and workers to take control of their lives, businesses and communities through trade. Fairtrade also enables businesses – and consumers – to understand the whole supply chain because it is tracked from producer to buyer.
Challenging unfair trading practices is also a crucial part of what Fairtrade does
Read more on market access and fairer trade
Towards gender equality
Fairtrade believes the role of women in agriculture needs more visibility, recognition and value, and that gender equity is important to social sustainability. Currently, 350,000 women farmers and workers are part of Fairtrade, a quarter of the total.
But we know there is a significantly larger number involved in Fairtrade supply chains that are not registered as formal workers or members of co-operatives.
Read more on gender equality
Productivity and quality
Supporting farmers to improve the amount of crop they produce and its quality are important for sustainable livelihoods. It means farmers can earn more from what they produce to become more economically stable and reliable suppliers, improving business relationships' stability.
Productivity and quality are increased as a result of improved farming practices and regular technical support, and so have an important link to environmental sustainability.
Read more on productivity and quality
Access to basic services
The Fairtrade Premium enables farmers and workers to invest in their communities to improve access to basic services. Co-operative members or workers on plantations are consulted to identify the most urgent needs and where Premium money can have the most impact.
Read more on access to basic services
Fairtrade – for a fairer, sustainable world.