About Fair Trade in Travel

According to the Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International, Fair Trade-certified sales amounted to approximately €1.6 billion worldwide in 2006, a 41% increase over 2005. Although the global sales of fair trade products have grown substantially over the past few years, much work is still needed to raise awareness, educate consumers, and provide them with opportunities to make socially responsible decisions, particularly in the U.S. and other developed counties. Supporting disadvantaged artisans and other producers in developing countries enables sustainable development by helping to preserve cultural heritage and provide local people with an alternative source of income. For these reasons, STI is now launching our Fair Trade in Travel program.

STI's Fair Trade in Travel program is designed to help artisans and producers in tourism-dependent developing countries receive fair prices for their products, sold domestically and abroad. Specifically, STI is promoting the products of fair trade companies that have met specific criteria. In order to ensure the promotion of credible fair trade programs, STI has established the following criteria for participation which are based on the principles of the Fair Trade Federation:

Fair Wages. Producers must be paid a living wage for their products. Because of low prices, many producers are not able to meet their basic needs, such as food, health care, shelter, and education. Paying producers a fair wage allows them to meet these basic needs, which is critical for alleviating poverty and improving their quality of life.

Long-term Relationships. Buyers and producers must engage in long-term direct trading relationships, giving producers security and allowing them to plan for the future. Additionally, this relationship helps producers to continue to meet the needs of the marketplace, thereby ensuring the sustainability of their own businesses.

Cooperatives. Many cooperatives and artisan groups reinvest a portion of their revenue into their businesses and community-based social projects. Working with these groups helps to build businesses and strengthen communities.

Financial and Technical Assistance. Many producers do not have access to credit or other financial assistance, which can inhibit their ability to grow their business. Buyers must provide financial assistance in the form of micro-loans, grants, and/or prepayment plans. Additionally, they must provide technical assistance geared toward helping producers improve their business practices and or market knowledge and understanding.

Sustainable Production Techniques. Buyers must encourage producers to use environmentally friendly and other sustainable production techniques. This includes but is not limited to providing educational and technical assistance on how to maximize the benefits of biodiversity and natural resource management and providing assistance implementing environmentally and economically sustainable technologies.

Preservation of Cultural Identity. The demands of Western markets must not outweigh the importance of cultural preservation. Buyers must therefore support the production and development of goods that maintain and celebrate producers' culture including their customs, traditions, mores and values.

Consumer Education. It is essential that consumers understand where their money goes - that fairly traded products serve to build economically and environmentally healthy communities, and that social injustice may lurk behind low prices. By educating consumers about the origins of their products - the producers, their families, living conditions, etc. - fair trade organizations and buyers alike can cultivate cross-cultural understanding and give meaning to how the choice of one product over another can have positive impacts.

Safe and Healthy Work Environments. Buyers must verify that their labor and contractual arrangements are not exploitive: that producers work in safe and healthy conditions; that producers are not exposed to hazardous, degrading, and discriminatory working conditions, that they exceed minimum legal conditions (i.e., producer's wages, salaries and benefits are equal to or higher than the industry's minimums for the respective region and country, according to the employees' tasks, experience and level of responsibility); and that they do not permit employment or contract of the services of minors under the age of 14.

Transparency. Since all business and financial transactions must be transparent and accountable to the public, we only work with other non-profit organizations.

Our Promise

	To treat you fairly in all of our dealings with you.
	To pay you fairly for all of the goods you produce for us.
	To assist you to develop your businesses and skills.
	To support your enterprise.
	To seek out new and additional markets for your goods.
	To always act in good faith with you and our customers.

To our customers, we promise:

	To provide the best quality goods we can at a fair price to you.
	To ensure that for all goods you purchase we have paid a fair price to the producer.
	To ensure that all Brighter Futures branded goods are produced by local artisans.
	To use all of our skills to ensure that STI's Fair Trade in Travel program supports and sustains producers in economically disadvantaged countries.

To our friends and patrons, we promise:

To make the Fair Trade in Travel brand a respected one in trade not aid.