This growing international movement helps ensure that low-income artisans, farmers, and other producers - the majority of whom live in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean - are adequately compensated for their work. It connects these small producers directly with marketers in developed countries, bypassing the middlemen and multi-national corporations. As a result, the producers of fair trade products are ensured adequate prices for their goods, independent of current and unpredictable world prices.

"The greatest single virtue of fair trade is that it encourages us to take a closer look, to engage more critically, with the intriguing, sometimes shameful details of everyday human life." (David Ransom, The No-Nonsense Guide to Fair Trade).

Fair Trade and Tourism

Tourism has the potential to support global sustainable development at a community level. This includes the creation of jobs, educational and professional training opportunities, health care benefits, infrastructure development and improvements, and enhanced environmental and cultural heritage protection.

Economic sustainability is achieved, in part, when tourists actively contribute directly to the economies of the local communities they visit without adversely affecting other aspects of people's lives. Travelers can easily make a difference by supporting locally owned businesses and visiting local markets. Another way to positively impact a community is to support fair trade. Fair trade products, which can be purchased abroad as well as online, help to guarantee that the producer receives sufficient compensation for the product or service that they offer.

Successful fair trade programs that have a travel component recognize the potential of local workers to educate visitors about the benefits of fair trade and allow artisans and other producers the opportunity to share their craft. A number of tours, such as those listed below, are available that encourage a constructive interaction between travelers and the communities they visit. Some programs even offer workshops, where you can learn the trades of your skilled hosts, or volunteer opportunities within the host communities.

Personally interacting with these individuals provides a new perspective on the importance of Fair trade in enabling marginalized producers and workers in developing countries to build a sustainable future for themselves, their families and their communities.

Travel and tourism providers also have an opportunity to support fair trade in the destinations they offer. Consider the following strategies:

	Consider encouraging your clients to buy locally produced products and / or services and orient them to visit locally owned businesses, artisans, city centers, and markets.
	Designate areas where authorized local organizations and artisans can expose their projects, culture, handicrafts, and other initiatives to your customers.
	Decorate your facilities with handicrafts and other works of art that are produced locally.
	Feature locally produced food in each of the regions where you operate. For example, offer at least one regional dish on your menu.
	Implement a policy for the utilization of certified organic foods, sustainable agriculture eco-labeled foods, or locally produced foods for your customer-direct food services.

Purchasing Fair Trade Products

Companies and consumers can both play an important role in promoting sustainable practices through their purchasing decisions. By purchasing Fair Trade products, you can make a difference in the lives of individual producers and small communities. Although supporting Fair Trade can be more expensive, the increased price leads to the enhancement of human well-being and the well-being of our global community.

Some things to consider when making a Fair Trade purchase include:

	Is the product or service produced or offered locally, or is it labeled "Fair Trade"? If it's labeled as "Fair Trade," it should at a minimum: pay the producers a fair wage that covers the price of production and living, offer employees opportunities for advancement, provide equal opportunities for all producers, promote environmentally sustainable practices, be open to public accountability, and provide healthy and safe working conditions.
	Is the product produced using environmentally friendly production technique? Does the product or service conserve energy, water and other natural resources?
	Is the product made from sustainably harvested or recycled materials, or does it contain recycled content? If so, what percentage comes from post-consumer waste?
	Does the manufacturer use renewable energy in processing the product and/or support philanthropic conservation or community development initiatives?
	How does the product or service maintain and celebrate the producers' cultural traditions?
	Does the product or service prevent waste? Is the product durable, reprocessed, re-useable, or recyclable locally? Is the product or service less hazardous and more biodegradable than the alternative?

Visit the Fair Trade Federation and the International Fair Trade Association to learn more about what qualifies a product or service as Fair Trade.

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