Category: News

Nearly a third of the world's working people live in poverty, report finds "Fair Trade and Poverty Eradication. The case of Bangladesh", published today by the Coordinadora Estatal de Comercio Justo. The study is released on the occasion of the World Day of Social Justice (every 20 February, since 2007) and tells how Fair Trade organisations contribute to poverty reduction not only from an economic point of view.

This situation of poverty affects women in particular, and is remembered every 20 February on the occasion of the World Day of Social Justice. Coinciding with this World Day, the study  "Fair Trade and Poverty Eradication. The case of Bangladesh". tells the story of the reality in this country and describes how Fair Trade works in a holistic way to combat the different faces of poverty.

Bangladesh, poverty and Fair Trade

Bangladesh is a country with 40% of its population living in poverty. This situation is not reduced even in important sectors of its economy such as textiles, as its growth is based on low wages and few labour inspections. Some Fair Trade initiatives try to improve this reality. Such as the artisan organisation BASEwhich employs 10,000 women in decent conditions.

Workers are organised in 17 production groups in different parts of the country and receive a salary of about 10,000 taka (4.40 dollars a day). As a result, they are able to maintain a dignified life. In addition, BASE provides the workers with basic services such as health care, education and credit.

The study "Fair Trade and poverty eradication. The case of Bangladesh" looks in particular at the benefits of this initiative among the women of the BASE organisation, who produce jute baskets, textiles, decorative items and footwear.

Global poverty: the figures

Poverty is a complex reality with multiple faces, although there are more than 1,500 Fair Trade producer organisations around the world trying to alleviate this dramatic situation. Some figures on global poverty are:

• One in nine people in the world suffer from hunger.
• More than 800 million people live on less than $1.25 a day, according to the United Nations. Many without access to adequate food, clean water or sanitation.
• 11% of the world's population suffers from extreme poverty.
• Almost a third of the world's working class lives in poverty, according to the ILO. Women are particularly hard hit by this reality.
• The global gender pay gap stands at 23%.
• 74% of people living in poverty suffer from the effects of land degradation.

Download and consult the report on the website www.comerciojusto.org

Fair Trade sales grew by 8.3% in Spain last year and have doubled since the beginning of the economic crisis. An alternative for responsible consumption.

Barcelona, 20 December 2018

The Christmas holidays are upon us and with them, consumption soars. For this reason, the campaign We are Fair Trade and Ethical Banking wants to highlight the value of Fair Trade as an alternative to consume in a critical and responsible way that increases year after year. The campaign presented the annual report on the state of Fair Trade in Spain today, 20 December at 12 noon, as part of the 4th Responsible Consumption Fair in Barcelona, which includes the most relevant data from the sector.

María Fernández, spokesperson for Somos Comercio Justo and Banca Ética, project manager of Alternativa 3 and member of the board of the Coordinadora Estatal de Comercio Justo (CECJ) presented the report to the Responsible Consumption Area of the Fair, together with the first deputy mayor of Barcelona City Council, Gerardo Pisarello, who explained the new features of this year's fair, and Marta Almirall, director of Festivals and Traditions of the Barcelona Institute of Culture (ICUB), who presented the programme of activities inside the plaque.

The report is produced by Somos Comercio Justo and Banca Ética and the Coordinadora Estatal de Comercio Justo and is supported by AECID, Barcelona City Council, the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation and Barcelona Provincial Council.

Fair Trade doubles sales in 10 years

Fair Trade continues to grow: Fair Trade consumption has grown by 8% in the last year and has a turnover of more than 43 million euros. In fact, since the beginning of the economic crisis 10 years ago, Fair Trade sales have doubled from 20 to 43 million euros. This significant growth has been achieved thanks to the increase in sales in conventional businesses (supermarkets and catering chains) and in herbalists and organic shops.

For the Christmas holidays, the campaign We are Fair Trade and Ethical Banking presents the annual report on the state of Fair Trade and calls for responsible consumption that respects human rights and the environment.

Since the beginning of the economic crisis 10 years ago, Fair Trade sales have doubled from 20 to 43 million euros.

Food continues to be Fairtrade's star performer, accounting for 94% of sales, according to the sector's annual report. Within this group, the best-selling products are sugar and its derivatives, which generate 41% of the turnover. Coffee, with 37% of sales, which has traditionally been the star product, is in second place this year. Other food products gaining weight in the shopping basket are tea, herbal teas, nuts and cereals. Apart from the food sector, handicrafts (including textiles, decoration and accessories) accounted for 4.8% of the sector's total sales last year. Finally, cosmetics and toiletries accounted for 1.3% of turnover.

Supermarkets and department stores, with 40% of the turnover, are the main area of Fair Trade consumption.

This is followed by the so-called "HORECA" channel (hotels, catering and restaurants), with 36% of the market. In third place, retail outlets generate 21% of sales. In this block, specialised Fair Trade shops have lost weight (they represent 12% compared to 14% the previous year), but there is a growth in sales in herbalist and organic shops, which are configured as an alternative space where Fair Trade products can be found. Even so, Fair Trade shops continue to be a reference point for the sector, as they are the only place where you can find almost exclusively handicraft products and practically all the food products with which the importers work. In Catalonia, there are around twenty specialised shops and points of sale of Fair Trade products and around ten online shops.

Despite the fact that sales continue to grow, Spain continues to lag behind European countries. The average Fair Trade consumption per person in 2017 was 0.93 euros, while in Europe it was 14.1 euros. The countries where Fair Trade is present this month are Switzerland (63 euros per person/year), Ireland (57.5) and Sweden (35). Globally, the Spanish market only represents 0'5% of the global Fair Trade market.

Trade that respects human rights

It is important to remember that behind many of the products we buy or consume lie situations of labour exploitation, modern forms of slavery, child exploitation and serious environmental degradation.

The International Labour Organisation estimates that some 25 million people are subjected to forced labour in sweatshops, farms and other sectors. Of these, 181,000,000 are underage. The agricultural sector accounts for 701TBW3T of child labour exploitation, which affects 152 million children. Finally, the agency estimates that 780 million people are working poor, i.e. their wages do not allow them to cover basic needs.

For this reason, the Fair Trade movement focuses on the origin of products and trades products produced under fair and sustainable conditions. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to producers and workers, especially in the countries of the global South. Fair Trade constitutes a network present in 75 countries, involving more than 2,000 producer organisations from Latin America, Africa and Asia, which bring together more than two million people.

In order to bring together the common principles and strategies of the movement, more than 300 Fair Trade organisations from all over the world have signed the new International Fair Trade Charter, which every month encourages collaboration with movements fighting for similar objectives such as the solidarity economy or organic agriculture. Each month, the charter also calls for Fair Trade to be used to improve wages, empower women, protect children's rights, promote biodiversity and influence public policy.

IV Responsible Consumption Fair

From 21 December to 4 January, Placa Catalunya will once again be the setting for the 4th Barcelona Responsible Consumption Fair, with the participation of organisations, companies and projects in the field of the social and solidarity economy. The We are Fair Trade and Ethical Banking campaign will have its own stand selling Fair Trade products and offering advice on ethical banking services.

At the campaign stop you will find the most common Fair Trade products, as well as baskets and gifts. You will also be able to find out about the different alternatives of ethical banking and the services it offers.

Who are Fairtrade and Ethical Banking?

The campaign We are Fair Trade and Ethical Banking is promoted by a consortium of 6 organisations: SETEM Catalonia, Alternativa 3, Oxfam Intermón, Fiare Banca Etica, the Solidarity Economy Network (XES), the...

It was born 19 years ago under the name of the Fair Trade Festival and has been evolving by incorporating the Ethical Banking branch and later on the Solidarity Economy branch. On the occasion of World Fair Trade Day, more than 35 Catalan municipalities organise activities in the framework of the campaign related to Fair Trade and ethical finance, as well as workshops, games, shows, theatre, frescoes, talks, exhibitions, etc. The campaign has "deseasonality" at other times of the year such as the Solidarity Economy Fair of Catalonia (FESC) in October and the Responsible Consumption Fair in Barcelona in December.

The campaign is supported by Barcelona City Council, the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation and Barcelona Provincial Council.

See the full State of Fairtrade in Spain 2017 Report

More information on the We are Fair Trade and Ethical Banking campaign website.

Each year, a detailed report is published on the System. Fairtrade which details information on the certified producers and workers, the market, the products, the producer networks and how producers, workers and consumers use Fairtrade and benefit from the Fair Trade movement.

This is the ninth edition of the report, which highlights how Fairtrade relates to the Sustainable Development Goals, which were adopted in 2015 and are part of the 2030 Development Agenda of the United Nations. United Nations. And how the SDGs provide a useful framework within which all social actors - governments, organisations, activists, businesses and citizens - can be actors.

The number of producers and organisations continues to grow, as do sales of products. Fairtrade. This means that more producers, more companies, and more consumers believe in the powerful transformation that Fairtrade can achieve. But at the same time and especially with products such as cocoa and tea, one still sees producers and workers struggling to make a living income or a living wage due to complex factors in local economies as well as in the global market. This further reinforces the need for Fairtrade continue to seek innovation to expand the market for Fair TradeThe EU has been supporting crop diversification and productivity improvement, developing interventions that go beyond certification, and pushing for fairer prices for producers.

Fairtrade's relationship to the SDGs

As the SDGs recognise, profoundly eliminating poverty and marginalisation takes the commitment of all to move together towards common goals. At FairtradeWe work closely with our partners and customers to continuously adapt and find new solutions to the changing needs of producers, workers and companies, who are under increasing pressure to meet sustainability commitments. Our innovative sourcing models are a way for producers to expand their sales and companies to include more certified products. Fairtrade. It is also a priority to achieve fair incomes for producers and living wages for workers. Improving the quality of human lives is our motivation to continue working towards greater impact, greater equity and greater justice.

Results from Fairtrade producer organizations

This latest report presents data on certified producer organisations. Fairtradecovering all products and countries, with a special focus on the seven main products that represent a livelihood for more than 90% of all producers in the world. Fair Trade. At the same time, it shows the scope and scale of Fairtrade and provides trend analysis and information on activities that have a direct impact. As an organisation, Fairtrade uses this wide range of data as an important indicator of the impact on certified plantation producers, organisations and workers. Therefore, understanding the full picture, the areas of high performance as well as the challenges that still need to be overcome, allows to modify the approach and continuously improve.

At the end of 2016, there were 1,411 certified producer organisations. Fairtrade in 73 countries. Of the products Fairtrade The largest number of producer organisations in 2016 was in coffee (38%), followed by cocoa (13%), banana (10%), tea (8%) and sugar (7%). The net increase of organisations from 2015 to 2016 is 14% or 171 organisations was considerably higher than that of previous years. The majority of producer organisations in Fair Trade are located in Latin America and the Caribbean, representing 52% of all producer organisations in the region. Fair Trade worldwide, followed by Africa and the Middle East and Asia and the Pacific.

Global data 2016

At the end of 2016, there were more than 1.66 million producers and workers in the system. Fairtrade. Since 2012, the number of producers and workers in the system has been Fairtrade has increased by 18%. Coffee, tea and cocoa remained the most important products in terms of the number of producers and workers involved. Together, they accounted for about 83% of all producers and workers in the region. Fair Trade. In fact, the top seven products Fairtrade (banana, sugar, cocoa, coffee, flowers, seed cotton and tea) accounted for 93% of all producers and workers in the system. In addition, the proportion of women producers and workers remained the same during 2016. Of the 1.6 million producers and workers of Fair Tradewomen account for a total of 388,730.

The Fairtrade Premium: Impact and Democratic Decisions

The report also has a strong emphasis on the Fairtrade Premium, an extra sum of money on top of the selling price, which the producer organisations receive with each sale made on terms of Fair Trade. Producers and workers democratically decide how to invest these funds in projects of their choice. In 2016, more than €158 million was generated through sales. Fairtradea 9% increase over the previous year. In addition, a recent study found that producers certified by Fairtrade perceived the Fairtrade Premium and group cohesion as some of the main benefits of certification. Fairtrade. The results indicate that the investments of the Fairtrade Premium in health, education and essential local services, as well as projects benefiting women and girls, are having a very positive impact.

The vision of Fairtrade is a world in which all small producers and workers can enjoy secure, fair and sustainable livelihoods, fulfil their potential and decide on their future. And that is why fair and sustainable trade is central to this approach. The Fair Trade Theory of Change describes the change we want to see in global trade and our contribution to making that change happen.