Photo: Fair trade

A social movement aimed at helping producers in developing countries, fair trade is certainly a good idea. But high prices make consumers reluctant to embrace it fully, whilst concerns also exist over whether it actually makes a difference. Is fair trade really worth the extra cash? Fair trade encourages consumers to buy fair trade products that help disadvantaged producers in developing countries to be financially independent. In many developing countries, wages paid to workers to produce goods that are exported to developed countries are too low for them to sustain themselves and their families.

What is fair trade?

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Fair trade aims to address the problem of unfairly low paid workers, not only by raising the prices paid for goods, but also by promoting education and social upliftment for workers in developing countries.

A growing trend

In the UK, over 3,000 fair trade products are currently available, ranging from biscuits to wine, and the trend towards consumerism with a conscience is growing. While fair trade products sales rose by 12% last year, at £800 million this is just a fraction of the money spent by UK consumers. However, despite higher costs, more and more companies are getting involved in producing these products. Ice-cream company Ben & Jerry recently committed to becoming completely fair trade by 2013.

Think about that cuppa

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Tea, the great English drink, is mainly grown in poor, developing countries. While tea is a huge industry, worth around $4 billion (£2.6 billion), the majority of that money goes to the small number of companies who dominate the industry. Despite this, the average wage of workers on tea plantations is shockingly low. In Malawi, a tea picker’s average daily wage is $0.70-$1.60 (45p-£1).

Is it worth it?

Prices for fair trade products are undoubtedly higher, but the higher price means buying a product that will help sustain people in developing countries. According to Fairtrade Foundation chief executive Harriet Lamb, fair trade helped millions of growers and their families survive a difficult year in 2009. She says the British and the Irish are voting for Fairtrade with their wallets, and show commitment to combating an unjust trading system.