October: Fair Trade Month
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During the entire month of October 2005, different events and activities will take place in 7 US cities. Fair Trade, a responsible equitable approach to trade relationships is generally portrayed as an alternative to the economic and social gap produced and reproduced by current business and commercial models. At present, a great number of retail products carry the Fair Trade Certified label. Drawing inspiration from this movement, ifPeople proposes to apply these values and principles to trade in services and puts forward its FairSource model as an effective tool to achieve this aim.
Six months after the celebration of Global Week of Action for Trade Justice (read more), Fair Trade Month is celebrated this October in the cities of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, San Francisco, Boulder and New York. This initiative is headed by TransFair USA, the only third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States. The goals set out for this month include advancing and expanding Fair Trade in the US, promoting certified Fair Trade products and raising awareness among consumers about the power of this model to improve the quality of life of small producers from developing countries. Fair Trade month will feature numerous activities ranging from concerts, educational sessions, food tasting, conferences and film and documentary festivals.
FairTrade: products
Fair Trade offers a solution to thousands of
agricultural producers from developing countries who have applied this
sustainable and responsible business model to fight against poverty. Unlike
free trade, which emphasizes economic benefit and shows little interest in
broader social issues, Fair Trade encourages the development of a new trade
relationship that ensures the protection of the environment, fair working
conditions and a fair price. Besides, Fair Trade commits to the fight against
child labor exploitation.
Fair Trade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) is the worldwide
Fairtrade Standard setting and Certification body and has an association of 20
members, including TransFairUSA. The FLO provides products that meet Fair Trade
standards with a Fair Trade Label. At present, FairTrade certified products can
be bought at several retail shops of 20 Asian, European and North American
countries. Purchasing any of the many
Fair Trade Certified products, such as coffee, sugar, tea, rice, fruit and
chocolate, consumers get a high-quality product at an affordable price and help
to promote and defend the values and practices that characterize the Fair Trade
innovation.
FairSource: services
ifPeople`s goal is to expand the application of Fair Trade principles beyond trade in products to trade in professional services. To that end, ifPeople has created a model and standard to build a partnership with IT professionals known as FairSource. This pioneering model aims at developing collaborative long-term relationships with its partners through a process that generates trust, abilities, professionalism and responsibility. Two papers on FairSource are currently available at ifPeople`s web page.
In October, ifPeople joins Fair Trade Month celebrations offering a discount to all socially responsible business and enterprises that support the Fair Trade principles.
