Fair Trade Products
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Building a Movement Take the 5% Pledge! Global Exchange is building a democratic global Challenge yourself to shift 5% of the money you economy in three crucial ways: spend each month to Fair Trade products. Shop Fair Trade Dismantling Global Corporate Rule at Global Exchange and other Fair Trade stores With international partners, we mobilize citizens to challenge global and encourage friends and family to do the same. corporate rulemaking institutions like the WTO, the IMF, and the World You can make a huge difference in the lives of Bank, and prevent the expansion of NAFTA through the FTAA. farmers and artisans by supporting Fair Trade. Demanding Corporate Accountability Global Exchange Fair Trade Stores We pressure transnational companies to guarantee labor rights for Global Exchange has four retail Fair Trade Stores: three brick and mortar factory and agricultural workers. We demand that auto manufacturers locations, and our Online Store. break our oil addiction by increasing fuel efficiency. We advocate for greater citizen control over corporate power and practice, and an end to excessive corporate influence on electoral democracy. Promoting the Fair Trade Alternative Our Fair Trade program promotes a trade system based on economic justice, not corporate profits. We trade equitably with world artisans, educate the public, and promote Fair Trade Certified products. Coffee and Chocolate Campaigns Coffee prices have plummeted to all-time lows, putting millions of coffee farmers around the world in crisis and causing problems such as malnutrition, rural unrest and increased drug cultivation. West African cocoa farms are home to wide- Berkeley San Francisco spread child labor and even child slavery. Cocoa 2840 College Avenue 4018 24th Street farmers just don’t earn enough to send their kids Berkeley, CA 94705 San Francisco, CA 94114 to school or pay their workers! 510-548-0370 415-648-8068 Environmental degradation is increasing through Portland Online Store pesticide use and deforestation on plantations. 3508 SE Hawthorne Blvd. www.globalexchangestore.org At the same time, large coffee and chocolate companies, and their Portland OR 97214 [email protected] CEOs, are bringing in billions. 503-234-4049 110 Capp Street #201 San Francisco CA 94110 In contrast, Fair Trade Certification guarantees a minimum price per 800-505-4410 or 415-553-4412 pound and access to credit, prohibits abusive child labor, encourages environmental sustainability, and supports community development. Fair Trade helps farmers live with dignity and gives us great products we can trust. Our Fair Trade campaigns educate consumers about Fair Trade and pressure large companies to convert to Fair Trade sources. Learn more and get involved: [email protected], www.globalexchange. org/campaigns/fairtrade Why Fair Trade? Fair Trade Partners Our consumer spending choices affect people’s lives around the world. Global Exchange works primarily with a network of Fair Trade importers who are members of the Fair Trade The products we enjoy are often made in conditions that harm workers, Federation, TransFair and other certification groups. We also purchase crafts directly from producer groups in communities and the environment. But increasingly consumers are many regions of the world. Every item has been carefully selected to meet Global Exchange’s high quality stan- demanding more humane, more environmentally sensitive products. dards as well as stringent international Fair Trade certification criteria. Below are just a few examples of the Fair Trade provides that alternative. Fair Trade means an equitable many Fair Trade partners we work with. partnership between consumers in the Global North and producer The Conacado Cooperative is a group of over 9,000 Fair Trade cocoa farmers in the cooperatives in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Dominican Republic. Members are organized into smaller, regional groups called “bloques.” Conacado’s Global Exchange’s Fair Trade program supports producers in their goals are to generate work and income for disadvantaged groups, increase quality and productivity, efforts to build strong communities and improve their quality of life, foster direct trade relationships, and provide credit and technical assistance. La Siembra Cooperative’s while giving consumers the chance to purchase high quality products Cocoa Camino chocolate uses cocoa from Conacado. made under fair labor conditions. As a member of the Fair Trade Enterprising Kitchen is a small non-profit business that produces hand-made soaps. It Federation, Global Exchange abides by strict Fair Trade criteria and was created to provide employment and life skills training to women in the U.S. who are working works with a growing international network to create a new model towards self-sufficiency and independence. This micro-enterprise strives to address the needs of for global cooperation, one based on economic justice rather than these women with a unique combination of experiential job training and life skills development. corporate profits. The Kilimanjaro Native Cooperative Union is Africa’s oldest coffee cooperative, founded in 1924 as a Fair Trade Criteria marketing organization for the indigenous farmers of the Chagga tribe living on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. Today, KNCU has over 135,000 members from various local co-ops in Tanzania. Equal Exchange is one of KNCU’s trading partners. •Paying a fair wage in the local context •Offering employees opportunities for advancement Maya Traditions supports weaving groups and small family businesses in Guatemala, including the Solola Weavers Group, through providing consistent income, health and education projects. Solola is a group of Kakchiquel Mayan widows •Providing equal employment opportunities for all people and their daughters who came together to earn a living after the violence of the 1980´s. Known for using a traditional tie- •Engaging in environmentally sustainable practices dye technique called Ikat, they make finely woven backstrap pieces. •Being open to public accountability Paradiso works directly with a small group of silversmith families in the villages of Celuk and Singapadu, on the island •Building long-term trade relationships of Bali, Indonesia. Jewelry is exquisitely handcrafted, using techniques that are passed down through generations. Providing •Providing healthy and safe working con- materials, education, design and product development, Paradiso aims to help producers maintain the rich quality of their ditions within the local context village life in the face of rapid change and economic development. •Providing financial and technical assis- tance to producers whenever possible What We’ve Got •Ensuring that there is no abuse of child labor At our Fair Trade stores, we feature an incredible array of the finest handcrafted gifts available anywhere. As an alternative to sweatshop production, Global Exchange offers consumers the opportunity to purchase high quality Fair Trade gifts, crafts, home accessories, bath and Join Us! beauty items, jewelry, toys and clothing, as well as coffee, chocolate, tea and more! Global Exchange is an international human rights organization dedicated to promoting environmental, political, economic and Our Online Store features an impressive selection of gift baskets filled with fairly traded chocolates, coffees and teas, candles, social justice. We are working with communities across the crafts and other treasures. As part of our mission to educate the public about human rights, social justice and the global country to build a greater awareness of global trade issues and economy, the Online Store also offers books, films, and audio recordings related to our campaign work. translate that awareness into Fair Trade activism. Become a member online or at any of our locations. For more information, email [email protected] Shop Online! www.globalexchangestore.org.