What is Fair Trade?

Fair Trade is a partnership between consumers in the west and producers in developing countries.

Many of the products that we buy in supermarkets or shops are grown or produced by people who are not paid properly for their work, and as a result have to live in poverty. The Fair Trade movement was set up to ensure they are paid a proper price.

Worldwide, Fair Trade sales totaled $2.6 billion in 2006, according to the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT). The UK is one of the biggest global markets for Fair Trade goods.

Fair Trade guarantees:

• A fair price to producers in developing countries - enough to pay a living wage, no matter how low world prices on their product go
• No child labour
• Safe working conditions
• Protection for the environment
• Rights for women
• Long-term contracts that allow producers to plan for the future
• A social premium that is often reinvested into projects that help build sustainable community infrastructure, like hospitals, schools and roads

Fair Trade is about creating opportunities for producers in the developing world to receive a fair price for their goods and to work their way out of poverty. Put simply, it is an opportunity for them to improve their lives and the lives of their families, and is as straightforward as the choices you make on your weekly shop.

Fairtrade and Fair Trade

We are the Scottish Fair Trade Forum. Many of the products you see will be 'Fairtrade products.' Why the difference in terms - 'Fair Trade' and 'Fairtrade'?

'Fairtrade' (one word) refers to the mark given by the Fairtrade Foundation to products they can verify adhere to strict Fairtrade standards.

'Fair Trade' (two words) refers to products or organisations that are Fair Trade or fairly traded. The term is also used to refer to the wider Fair Trade movement and to the Fair Trade Nation campaign.

The two terms are not generally interchangeable.