Fair trade making “enormous progress”
Summary
Fair trade has been recognised by the European Parliament
as a key tool for development as it helps poor producers capture more of the
gains from their produce and trade their way out of poverty. In the UK there
has been increasing demand for fair trade products, and this has had an impact
in raising levels of corporate social responsibility.
However there is
still a backdrop of fierce price competition and reports of low wages and poor
working conditions for producers.
This report
‘Fair
Trade and Development’ (HC 356-I) examines the current state of fair trade
as an aid to development. The subjects covered include:
- Fair trade
as a thriving and growing enterprise
- The UK Government’s approach
- The impact of fair trade
- The challenges and limits of fair
trade
- The role of donors.
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How does it affect me?
If you work in
overseas development or are interested in fair trade, this affects you.
The Committee concludes that fair trade has made enormous progress but there
is still more room to grow. It could for example lay down standards for garment
manufacture, and more consciously target the very poor.
The Government
has declared support for fair trade but it needs to reassess how to best
advance the objectives.
Find out more about the
House
of Commons International Development Committee.
See more on fair
trade initiatives on the Department for
International Development website.