(© Bonnie Schiedel. Originally published in Wish, March 2008)

Shop smart for goods that come with a fair-trade stamp of approval 

Ever seen a “fair trade product” on a label and wondered what it meant? As fair trade items become increasingly mainstream–from jeans to cocoa to body scrubs—you’ll be seeing that phrase more and more. Here’s what you need to know.

How it works
Fair trade means that the people who produce goods in developing countries are paid a fair wage (up to two to three times the market price) for their labour and have longer-term contracts. They are often members of cooperatives that have access to collectively owned transportation and processing equipment, as well as low or no-interest loans and skills training. Some money is invested back into the community, and workers are involved in developing local resources like schools and health centres.

The benefits
Fair trade helps workers and their families have a better quality of life:

• greater economic independence and stability for workers
• an improved infrastructure
• environmentally sound practices, such as organic agriculture and limiting or eliminating
pollutants, pesticides and herbicides
• the ethical production of goods—no sweatshops, no human rights abuses, no child labour

What to look for
There are several different agencies that work with producers, importers and retailers to certify products as fair trade, which can be a bit confusing. In Canada and the United States, most fair trade items are monitored, audited and certified by an independent third-party agency called TransFair (www.transfair.ca), so look for the TransFair logo—a black and white line drawing of a person standing in front of a globe with a basket in each hand. However, not all fair trade retailers, such as The Body Shop and Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.-based UJeans, are members of TransFair, so make sure the non-member company can tell you about its relationship with suppliers and what exactly makes it fair trade.

If you’re shopping internationally (fair trade is especially hot in the U.K.), look for the logos of the International Fair Trade Association (www.ifat.org, a colourful circle with five interlocking human figures) or Fairtrade (www.fairtrade.net--a blue, green and black circle that resembles a ying-yang symbol).

Where to shop
Good news: you don’t have to sacrifice your budget or quality. Some fair trade products cost a bit more, especially if they are organic, but many are surprisingly competitive. A one-pound (454 g) bag of coffee from the President’s Choice Organics Fair Trade line, for example, is $6.99.

Check out these Canadian sources:

décor and gifts Ten Thousand Villages (in stores and at www.tenthousandvillages.ca); www.freshunlimited.com; www.bluemoon.org; Punku Peru (in stores and at punkuperu.com); www.jolica.com; www.peridar.com; www.hipbundles.com and www.babysbestdesigns.com (Peppa dolls)

clothing www.ujeans.com; www.newkindustry.com; www.nosilla.ca

skin care www.tashodi.ca; www.ziaandtia.com; www.cosmictree.ca; www.planetemonde.ca; The Body Shop (products that contain ingredients such as cocoa butter, sesame oil and marula oil); Lush Fair Trade Foot Lotion (in store and at www.lush.ca);

sports balls www.social-conscience.com; www.ridethetide.ca; http://yfocus.ncf.ca (click on “World-Wide Horizons”)

coffee www.justuscoffee.com; www.bridgehead.ca; Timothy’s World Coffee (3 blends: Swiss Water decaf, Fair Trade Wiwili and K-Cup Extra Bold Fair Trade Organic; in stores and at www.timothys.ca); Starbucks (Café Estima blend)

flowers ecoflora.ca; www.florimex-vancouver.com

wine www.chileanwinehouse.com

food (chocolate, tea, cocoa, sugar, rice, spices, grains) www.equita.ca; www.cleanfoodconnection.com; www.cocoacamino.com; www.zazubean.com; www.gogoquinoa.com

Fair towns
Canada now has two fair trade communities: Wolfville, NS and the municipality of La Pêche, QC. Part of a worldwide movement (other towns include Media, Pennsylvania and Garstang, England), the towns have agreed to advocate for fair trade products and principles, encourage local retailers to carry fair trade items, and where possible, use fair trade products, such as serving fair trade coffee, tea and sugar at community events.