World Fair Trade Day 2020

May 9^th is World Fair Trade Day, and it’s one of our favourite dates in the calendar when we acknowledge the growing global movement of fair trade.

We usually celebrate World Fair Trade Day in our stores, while this is not possible this year, the day is still an opportunity to celebrate Trade Aid’s role in New Zealand as championing a way of doing things a little differently than your average business – a fair way.

At a time when many of us are thinking globally and considering kindness in all human relations, this World Fair Trade Day we encourage you to look at the organisations around you that are part of the fair trade movement.  You will discover there are many business models, like ours, that prioritise the interests of workers, farmers, artisans and their communities. These are the businesses that are working against the trend that leads to increasing inequality. Fair trade means fair and stable prices in return for goods. It enables trading partners to invest in resources, training, health and education. It allows farmers, artisans and workers to become an active voice in how business should be done.

The World Fair Trade Organisation (WTFO) is the first international fair trade system that verifies the fair trade compliance of an organisation. It guarantees fair trade compliance throughout the entire supply chain of a product, and products that carry the WFTO mark are accredited through this system. Trade Aid is a member of the WFTO and you can read about the principles of the Guarantee System, here.

This World Fair Trade Day we’d like to take the opportunity to remind you that your purchase of Trade Aid products at your local supermarket, organic retailer, fair trade homeware and gift store, or through our online shop makes an impact on our global community.

As New Zealand regains the freedom to purchase goods in the coming weeks, we encourage you to talk to friends and family about making the change to Trade Aid fair trade products wherever possible.

We are proud of the way we do business. It’s a little different, it’s a little smarter, but the way we do business benefits everyone involved. And that’s only fair.