Why Fair Trade Goods?

For my first post(that isn't an introduction) I'm going to be writing an article about why young people should check labels to ensure that they are purchasing Fair Trade Goods.

Why Fair Trade Goods?

     When we walk into a store, most of us just look at the To-Buy List that our parents gave us and blindly pick up the products on the list, sometimes checking the price of the good, and sometimes not. Do we ever stop and think of the people who made these goods available to us? Are they receiving enough money for the resources that they are providing? To ensure that the products we buy are being bought at the same rate as the cost of production, the concept of Fair Trade was created and the British Association of Fair Trade Shops was formed.

      Fair Trade is essentially a trading partnership between producers in less developed countries and markets or consumers in more developed countries. Fair Trade goods are those which make sure that the producers receive exactly what their product is worth. It also plays a major role in decreasing poverty,contributing to the upholding of the human rights of the producer, and increasing the market for the producer's good. The environment is verified to be conserved during production in whatever way possible and the working conditions of the workers are verified . The equality in pay regardless of gender, race, class, etc. is also ensured for the workers.

      However, why should we, as the youth, support this venture of Fair Trade? What good does it do to us? The implementation of Fair Trade ensures the stability, fairness, and sustainability of the global economy, which is undoubtedly beneficial for us, the future adults of the globe. Furthermore, by making the working conditions better, people are obliged to work better, therefore increasing productivity, wages, and the living standards of those living in poverty. For all of these reasons, please do verify if the good you are buying in the store next time has a Fair Trade stamp on it. You may be helping some poor worker in a factory across the globe feed his family.