Fair trade and Facebook

I did the following guest blog post for the Fair Trade Futures conference – the largest fair trade event in North America. Find out more about them here.

What is the goal for fair trade?

My thoughts: Fair trade wants to make ethical consumption an everyday, every-purchase occurrence. I relish the day when fair trade is no longer needed.

Through good news, bad news, or a friend – you have heard about fair trade, right? That is what gave you the passion to support it. So that is how we get more people to support it. We have to tell them about it, and talk to them about it.

Social networks play a huge role in this goal, because they connect the people in the movement. Remember, people are vital; fair trade needs the support of everyone for it to work.

How can you use Facebook and Twitter?

1. Talk about fair trade with your friends on Facebook – send them links to your favorite articles, videos and stories.
2. Educate yourself about fair trade – read blogs, articles, watch videos and talk to people.
3. Buy fair trade, when you go shopping, when you are online.

Tell your friends, tell your family, tell a stranger – the more the merrier. Use your social networks.

By doing so you can make a difference to the billions of people in poverty.

About the author: Justin is co-founder and CEO of Vital Link Group, a company giving you the power to support fair trade on your social networks. To find out more about Vital Link, follow @vitallinkgroup and @justinvitallink or become a fan on Facebook.

People are the key

I did the following guest blog post for the Fair Trade Futures conference – the largest fair trade event in North America. Find out more about them here.

How did fair trade become a global name, brand and label?

It didn’t just jump out one day into our vocabulary. No. It started because of a movement, a movement that a group of people saw a need for, and decided to lead.

People, worldwide, were being exploited because they had no options; they were paid very little and treated poorly. All because they were living in poverty – in suffering – already. I mean, how could it be any worse for them?

But, we found out. We didn’t like it. We decided to stop it. And a movement was born.

Today, fair trade stands for ethics: a belief that products should be produced and manufactured fairly and ethically. This belief is what empowers the fair trade movement. This belief is the passion that drives millions of peoples’ choices every day.

This is your belief, your passion. You make the choices, you have the money.

On behalf of the billions of people worldwide living in poverty, thank you.

Thanks for being part of a tribe of people that believe in ethics and fairness. Thanks for caring.

People are the key, people with passion – people like you.

About the author: Justin is co-founder and CEO of Vital Link Group, a company giving people the power to choose and be recognised for it. To find out more about Vital Link, follow @vitallinkgroup and @justinvitallink or become a fan on Facebook.

Fair trade is more

I did the following guest blog post for the Fair Trade Futures conference – the largest fair trade event in North America. Find out more about them here.

Fair trade is losing its power as a brand and a label. Why is that?

Fair trade has become so strong in the western world, particularly when we think about coffee, that cafés that do not use fair trade beans, are losing business. This means they need to do one of two things: (1) buy fair trade beans and become a fair trade organisation, or (2) create their own ethical label and grab some customers back. Many are taking option (2) because it is cheaper and more personal to the customer.

A friend of mine owns his own café, and does just that. He can tell me how much he paid for the coffee, who produced it, the working conditions and progress in the community. Find out more by looking at the comments here. This adds a lot of value to the customer, which (at this stage) fair trade cannot.

This is not a BAD thing! Why? Because the producer is better off (and wins when the café wins), the customer feels closer to their coffee (they know more than the fair trade system could ever tell them), and ethical consumption is better off overall.

So fair trade is losing its power, but ethical consumption is up, and the public recognises it more-and-more. This is great news for people in poverty everywhere, and for the fair trade movement.

So what was fair trade’s purpose? Fair trade was the stepping stone to point us in the right direction. Fair trade brought attention to the issue. Fair trade made the people aware of the problem. Fair trade was a movement, because of a belief.

People are the driving force behind ethical consumption. Fair trade will end one-day, but that day will be the day when we no longer need fair trade. That day will be the day that every company produces and manufactures ethically and fairly. That will be the day to rejoice, because we have succeeded in changing the world – for the better of billions of people who were suffering.

That day may be far away. One thing that will bring it closer is if people talk about fair trade more, consume fair trade more, and invest in fair trade. All these things will accelerate us toward that goal. Social networks, like Facebook and Twitter play a huge role, you can read more about that on the next post.

About the author: Justin is co-founder and CEO of Vital Link Group, a company giving people the power to be part of the movement. To find out more about Vital Link, follow @vitallinkgroup and @justinvitallink or become a fan on Facebook.

Fair Trade Arguments cont’d

Hi everyone, this isn’t part of the Fair Trade Argument Series, but part of it will be. Rather, these are some thoughts I have had today about how Fair Trade is often incorrectly perceived, as well as some attitudes that I don’t much agree with or like.

Patricia Kumar (@PatriciaKumar) is an advocate of Fair Trade and is trying to convert her town, Blacktown in Australia, to a Fair Trade town. She has been met with some resistance in converting her local council. Some of the quotes from the council debate are included below with my thoughts surrounding them. Please feel free to comment, and ENJOY 🙂

“There is nothing we can do, these issues are too big for us to deal with as a Council, we do not have the power to act on this”  (Alan Pendleton, Labor Councillor)

Councils do not have the power to act alone, agreed. But the council is a leader in the community, they can inspire a movement, they can create the environment for a change to happen on a large enough scale. We don’t expect the council to go about being fair trade alone, but we do expect it to be the leader in our communities.

“We know international aid never truly goes there without someone taking a bit from the top” (Alan Pendleton, Labor Councillor)

Firstly, fair trade and aid are not the same. Aid is free money given to governments (often with high levels of corruption) with no constraints and terms of use for that aid. In other words there is no monitoring of that aid; where it goes and to what uses, so it becomes inefficient and, essentially, useless. Aid has had no effect on GDP per capita in developing countries.

Fair Trade on the other hand is a business mechanism. Fair Trade encourages communities and people to start businesses, make money for themselves (which they appreciate and value higher than aid/giveaways), and choose what and how to spend their money. It encourages innovation, leadership and better working and living conditions. It can be seen as an extension of micro-lending, and we have all seen how successful the Grameen bank has been in boosting the Bangladeshi economy.

Fair Trade is about supporting those third world producers, giving them a platform to trade on with the rest of the world. Regardless of whether someone is “skimming”, as long as we support those producers we are doing the world a service.

“We have Fairtrade principles and therefore there is no point in seeking accreditation. We have one of the most ethical procurement guidelines around, we are doing our fair share. Yes, we can do more and we will but we don’t need to be part of the Fairtrade association for it” (Stephen Bali, Labor Councillor)

It is great that the council has Fair Trade principles, but there is a way to prove that, and show case that to the community. By becoming a registered and active member of Fair Trade Towns, the council can display its support of fair trade to the public, and to their communities. In fact, being part of the association and becoming a labelled organisation, the council is being recognised for their commitments to fair trade. I mean why go through all the effort of committing, and not ask for the recognition, right? Become a member, and lead your community in ethical purchasing and fair trade principles.

What do you think? Should the council be a leader for their community? Or should they wait for the community first?

Fair Trade versus Aid

I wanted to discuss Aid and Fair Trade.

Developed countries advocate Aid as a solution to poverty’s problems in developing countries. Has it been working? No.

It is merely a political propaganda to keep the general population happy in those developed countries. If the public thinks that their government is helping with poverty they won’t stand up and shout.

Aid has benefits, but it hasn’t really had any impact on developing countries’ living standards or GDP per capita. This is perhaps because of two reasons: 1) much aid is given to governments who have high rates of corruption, and 2) aid is not monitored (the money may not be distributed to the best industries/regions/uses).

Aid has its flaws. Perhaps the easiest way to empower a country is to empower its people. By encouraging trade with developing countries and giving them a level playing ground, they can earn their income. This will allow the income to be distributed as freely and fairly as possible, and be spent on those things which matter most to the people/the country.

What I have found is that the people, who are in most need of money, would prefer to earn their incomes rather than be given free money. They often  choose to spend it on educating their children. This to me seems like a worthwhile cause. Fair trade advocates earning money, whereas Aid is like free giveaways. Fair Trade is sustainable, Aid is a waste. What do you think is the better solution?

If you want to watch an interesting talk about how Aid funds are actually used versus how they should be used, try this TED.com video by Esther Duflo – Social Experiments to Fight Extreme Poverty.

Fair Trade Argument 1: Free Trade is Fair Trade

For many of us Fair Traders we come across some skeptics. While their arguments may be strong, here is the first argument you can use to prove that Fair Trade is valuable. Happy reading and arguing 😛

The argument of fair trade versus free trade is now obsolete. Fair trade is free trade, the difference being that, now, it is the consumers who are driving the market – forcing corporations to make ethical production and purchasing decisions all the way down to the extraction of raw materials. Your first argument for fair trade is thus “Free Trade is Fair Trade”.

Free trade suggests that markets should be allowed to choose their sources, and minimise costs without any limitations. Trade will continue to be free, but the only constraint a market will now have will be that which its consumers place on it. If you don’t do what your consumers want, you will fail. You can, you must, tell your company what to do – act and choose ethically.

And that is exactly what is happening. People all around the world are refusing to buy from companies with unethical practices, switching to those companies that truly care about the people involved in their products. The question that companies now face is: “If I am losing business to an ethical competitor, why haven’t I switched to an ethical source yet?”. The latest big change to Fair Trade sources is Cadbury’s switch to FLO certified cocoa for their Dairy Milk chocolate. Well done Cadbury! Check out this link for more info.

When iPod skins cost $0.19 to manufacture (including packaging) why do we pay $12 retail? Why not give the producer a fair price? I am still happy to pay the $12, but I don’t want the hidden cost to be the suffering of someone else.

Their argument: Normal market mechanisms determine a market under the free trade methodology. Companies make choices that lower the costs to the economy and the resources of the world. Free trade is efficient!

Your Argument: Consumers’ demands are a normal market mechanism, so Fair Trade is exactly that, a free trade market. It no longer means minimising costs, it means making sure the consumer is happy with the choices you make. Efficiency is important in our world, we just don’t have enough resources. But we don’t want billions of people to suffer just in the name of efficiency. We choose fair trade, we want ethical practices to be used, so if you don’t want to be ethical, then we won’t buy from you!

Make a Fair Trade Choice today.

Questions of the day: How does poverty make you feel? What do you think of the current solutions to poverty?

Inspiration to make a difference!

I am stuck at home today, the heavens are coming down. But that hasn’t stopped me from looking for inspiration. I found a video today, that I saw a while ago, that was amazing. It is truly unforgettable when you see one person pull off the “impossible”. Check out Nick Vujicic for a little inspiration: http://www.wimp.com/watchingthis/

On my casual travels online today, I found a perspective that I believe in: “we no longer have to see the direct repercussions our purchases have on the people, environment and animals they affect. The degrees of separation between the consumer and the consumed have increased so much that we’re completely unaware of the levels of destruction and suffering embodied in the stuff we buy.” (From http://www.justfortheloveofit.org/)

I think this is the case. We have forgotten to think about our purchasing. We do it so often, why should we care? Well, around the world, corporations are trying to cut costs and increase profits. I am not against profit at all, as it drives growth, and growth is vital in order to innovate and solve problems. But driving down costs at the expense of exploiting people and the environment is unacceptable. Internet has opened our eyes to this. We can now see into the lives of those who have been and still are exploited every day. We see videos of how they live, we hear about people visiting them, we see how the environment is changing, and the repercussions of our decisions. The internet lets us see into the corners of the earth, that have been ignored for so long.

AND we are changing, people now think about their purchases. We buy organic to reduce our exposure to harmful chemicals. We buy free range eggs, meat and milk to make better health choices. We buy fair trade to recognise that our producers are paid fairly, and treated ethically, and living acceptably. All these choices are becoming more common. All these industries are growing and taking over the industries of the past. I am proud to be a part of this movement. I believe that we should think about our purchases, I don’t like to be fooled by sneaky, cost-cutting, exploitative corporations. I want to know they care about more than profits. The question is: Do you care?

If you do, try buying fair trade chocolate or coffee, instead of the usual. The next time you are looking for a meaningful gift for your friends or family, try a fair trade gift. Make a choice, and tell people about it. What better way to tell everyone you care, than through Facebook? Buy a gift through Vital Gifts and you can spread the word that you care, whilst supporting the producers of your products. Trust me, they need us.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2009/oct/28/live-without-money

Ignorance is not Bliss!

I was doing some reading last night and I came across a blog about someone’s view on Fair Trade: http://humanepursuits.wordpress.com/2009/12/18/fair-trade-is-not/.

After reading said article, I was fuming. Apparently, the good intentions of the world are amiss according to this author.

The ignorance of some people, really gets to me.

So I sent a long detailed response to the post, you can see it in the comments below the blog. But my god, I was extremely frustrated that there are some people with such one-sided judgements. So I provided the other side.

Hope you enjoy the reading as much as I enjoyed writing up the response.

Peace!

Welcome to my new blog

Hi everyone,

Decided that I would start writing my own blog. For anyone interested in keeping tabs on me or Vital Link, or Vital Gifts you are in the right place. I will put any information about me, the companies’ developments and just anything in general. I hope to keep you all informed and interested.

If not, then there is always YouTube, or Facebook. If on facebook, go check out the new application, Vital Gifts.

http://apps.facebook.com/vitalgifts

Its a gift giving application for Fair Trade products. If you aren’t aware of Fair Trade that okay. Fair Trade is amazing, its an initiative to stop the exploitation of third world producers. If you buy a Fair Trade branded product you know that the producer who made it was given a fair price for his time and effort.

That is what you are doing when you buy a gift through Vital Gifts; making a real difference to a struggling third world producer. Plus you get a sweet gift for your mate! Most of all, every single one of your mates will know about it (tell them with a wall post).

So go check it out, become a fan, tell your mates to join, and when it your mate’s birthday make him happy, buy him a gift.

That is it for now. Stay strong

Peace.

P.S. Fair Trade to the People!