A few months ago my oldest son wanted to trade his little brother his big nickel for his little dime. “Look, this one is better, it’s bigger! And look how shiny it is.” Quickly we went over and explained to our oldest that he couldn’t use his advantages of strength or knowledge to trick his brother into an unfair trade. And now that we’re in the age of Pokemon cards, the lessons are again presenting themselves. Being fair in your trade is more important than getting more out of the trade.
The interesting thing however, is how these childhood lessons are abandoned when we become adults. The almighty dollar instead of fairness rules the day and we are left with a system that works for some but not for many. In some ways, it is that simple. But as the fair trade movement gets more momentum, the label has some more specific meanings. The fair trade label ensures that the cooperatives are not only supplying quality products but that they are being treated fairly, being paid a fair wage for their work and that social and environmental standards are being upheld. Ten Thousand Villages, a retailer of fair trade products, even goes the extra mile. They offer the artisans 50% of the money ahead of time so that they may purchase materials. This kind of treatment of producers is in many ways unprecedented. But it makes a way for third world producers to compete in the global market. TTV also keeps its costs down by using volunteers in their stores so that the artisan who makes the product is ensured that wage, hence, making them a non-profit retailer. For these reasons we are happy to offer fair trade products at our Holiday Bazaar and are just as thrilled to have Ten Thousand Villages join with us to see fair trade become more of an option in Naperville, Bolingbrook, and beyond.
