2. Fair Trade is an organized social movement and a
market based approach to helping producers in
developing countries to earn a fair amount of money
for their work. It also tries to support sustainability.
4. Fair trade benefits farmers, especially in Africa, Asia and Latin
America to earn money for their families.
It provide farmers with the amount of money they deserve from
working.
It is environmentally friendly and sustainable.
It helps developing countries improve trading conditions
The money the farmers earn can be used to provide food, build
new schools and buildings, provide proper medication and get
clean water.
Fair trade helps to make a stronger relationship between
consumers and producers
It helps small farmers get a spot on the market
The products have to reach a certain standard to achieve the Fair
Trade mark, so the quality is good.
5. In the Fair Trade system, one thing that makes the development
process faster is something called the ‘Social Premium’.
A social premium is an extra sum of money that is to be used for
social developments such as building schools, buildings,
roads, hospitals, getting better medication e.t.c. It always
equals to 14% of the regular income .
6. The cocoa beans are grown by Kuapa
Koko, a cooperative of 45,000 cocoa
farmers in Ghana, West Africa. They
plant cocoa trees in hot and damp
countries. Once the cocoa beans turn
bright yellow, they get harvested.
The cocoa beans are wrapped in
banana leaves and are left to dry in
the shade. This brings out the
chocolate taste. When the leaves
are dry, they get put in sacks to get
weighed by the Kuapa Koko
recorder, the most trusted man in
the village.
The beans are
weighed and Fair
Trade which buys it
for a fair price which
is usually about £56 a
bag. Then the bags go
to the factory to be
made into chocolate.
7. Fair Trade is so important because it is a way to give farmers the income they
needs and deserve. One example of this is the Kuapa Kokoo cocoa bean
company. Before Fair Trade, the people who recorded the cocoa beans(the
recorder) would manipulate the scales so to pay them less or they would
write fake cheques. In Kuapa Kokoo, they elect their recorder so they
know they aren’t being cheated. Fair Trade has also joined with the farmers
and come up with a minimum price that they should be paid with in
addition to the social premium.
8. You need to be eco-friendly
You have to use your social premium for the reasons intended
There a fixed minimum price
No child or forced labour
No discrimination against anyone (different genders or races)
The organization must provide a decent working area for its
employees
9. There are lots of companies supporting Fair Trade, including ;
Cadbury
Divine
Kit Kat
Star Bucks
Marks and Spencer
Oxfam
Crossroads
The Body Shop
and more.
10. Fair Trade products can be found in a lot of places in Hong
Kong if you look closely enough. In supermarkets and
convenient stores everywhere they sell fair trade chocolate
(Park n’ Shop, Welcome, 7-11 e.t.c.). In some shopping malls
there are Marks and Spencer shops and Body Shops.
Starbucks are widely distributed throughout Hong Kong, so it
would be easy to find one in the city.