is much more than just business. In short, Fair trade means that producers in the 3^rd world get a fair price. That sounds simple and obvious, but for the small manufacturers in Africa, Latin America and Asia, low world market prices are a daily nightmare driving them into poverty and an existence where life is a struggle for survival. Fair Trade organizations want to change this and give these manufacturers a dignified existence.

On September 25, 2018, a new Charter for Fair Trade was published, which has been adopted by the big Fair trade organizations WFTO, FLO, EFTA and NEWS. In this, the vison for Fair Trade is defined in the following way:

The Fair Trade movement shares the vision of a world where trade structures and praxis are based on justice, equality and sustainable development, so that all human beings may live a decent and dignified life and fully realize their potential through their work.

Through consumer backing, the Fair Trade organizations are actively involved in supporting the producers and creating awareness of the need to change the rules and praxis of conventional trade.

An extensive presentation of the background and the work of the Fair Trade movement may be downloaded her: The international Fair Trade Charter

A good example:
In the very poor, northern part of Ghana it has been a tradition that the peasants supplement their very meagre income from self-supplying farming by selling woven baskets, produced outside the rainy season. The baskets were sold at the local markets, but prices fluctuated very much.
By developing marketable products, paying a fair price above market level and creating a stable demand, Hammershus Fairtrade has succeeded in bringing people above the poverty line, giving them an opportunity to provide for themselves and their families and paying for their children’s schooling. In other words: render a fair help-to-self help.

Fair Trade builds on the old slogan “trade not aid”; in other words, you should concentrate on fair trade rather than aid. So, Fair Trade differs from traditional development aid with a sender and an often passive receiver by involving people in their own development to a very high degree.

The core of Fair Trade is to respect human dignity by acknowledging that people often can and will act themselves, if only they get a chance to do so on fair terms and the necessary support to gain market access.

 

provides a valuable addition to improving conditions of life, more working places and schooling for the children.

The good example:
In October 2012 importer Huset ved havet /House by the Sea/ and Chituingwize Arts Centre began to cooperate on a project aiming at furthering sustainable growth and employment in slum areas outside of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. The projects focus on developing the organization for its 150 members and their families and on network activities to spread the knowledge of Chitungwize Arts Centre in art circles in Zimbabwe and, not least, to increase the production of Shona Art so that the sculptors can reach more and other target groups with their traditional stone art, both in the region as well as nationally and internationally.

 The trade association Fair Trade Danmark’s vision is to lift marginalized manufacture out of poverty through good working conditions, product development, cooperation and sale of Fair Trade goods. Unlike other Fair Trade players, the principles for Fait Trade production and trade must be in force for the whole trade chain from producer to consumer and be based on WFTO’s (World Fair Trade Organisation) 10 Fair Trade standards.

By trading with as few intermediates between producer and consumer as possible, it can ensure the producer fair payment for the products. Thus, Fair Trade offers producers the possibility of moving from a vulnerable and insecure position to one of financial security and a possibility for self-support. The system may be called help to self-help.

Our products have received praise for design, form and quality, are handmade and produced under sustainable conditions.

The basic idea behind our products is a unique combination of African handicraft and Scandinavian design.  Our ideal is the development of products in an equal cooperation between producers and designers, which takes its starting point in the understanding of and respect for local handicraft traditions, culture and the socio-economic situation.

The designer participating in the cooperation is not only expected to teach, but also to learn to understand local conditions and traditions. Through this meeting, mutual understanding, learning and inspiration come into existence which, properly disseminated, will end up in innovative, competitive Fair-Trade products which appeal to larger target group than the traditional ones.

 A good example
In the video, you can hear about the important role that trading have for producers and society, and also get a sneak peak at how we work with the design of new products using Fairtrade principles :