With rows filled with groceries and stores lined with promotions for their new sales, we often forget how the products we buy landed on our shelves.
A large portion of the products we buy are at the expense of people living around the world.
Child labor, deforestation, unsafe working conditions and workers' rights are some of the many issues connected to trade across the world. The many Fairtrade certifiers work to advocate for workers' rights and challenge unfair trade systems.
Fair trade, or fairly traded products, refers to the movement that contains several certification systems, and companies don't need to be a member of the World Fair Trade Organization network to use it. Fairtrade refers to the movement governed by Fairtrade International, which is a specific certification system.
The problem
Jennifer Keahey, an associate professor of sociology at the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, said there has been a significant increase in farmers losing their businesses and higher suicide rates because of the globalization of the food system.
Markets are moving away from family farms to large, corporate farms that can produce more products for the least amount of money, Keahey said.
"(Products) may have pretty pictures of a farm on their packaging, but that's not how the food is produced anymore," Keahey said. "For family farmers who are committed to producing healthier food that has fewer industrial inputs — like chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides — it's very difficult for them to stay in business."
Keahey said during her research on Fairtrade International in France, she found that suicide happens nearly every other day. In the U.S. in 2010, she said the Midwest saw a wave of suicides because of family farms going bankrupt.
Products traded in global markets go through "coyote," or mid-level companies, that purchase the products from the farms and then sell them to international buyers, Keahey said.
The coyote typically makes more profit than the farmer growing and supplying the food. If prices drop below the cost of production, farms may go out of business.
The solution
Keahey said fair trade is a third-way approach that puts its focus on environmental and social concerns back into the market. The Fairtrade International system provides producer support through a third-party certification system in three main ways.
One way is through setting a minimum pricing guarantee to ensure that if global market prices fall below the cost of production, farmers are protected and will still receive a fair price for their products.
Secondly, Fairtrade buyers are encouraged to build long-term trade relationships with farmers and buy directly from the cooperatives.
Finally, farmers receive a social premium, which is a price paid on top of the product by the Fairtrade buyer. This goes to the producer cooperative — which are companies owned by people who produce the same type of goods. With that money, the farmers get to vote on where the money goes to, whether that be installing better water systems or building a daycare to support families.
ASU is the largest fair trade designated university and offers many ways for students to shop on campus.
The University held a "Fair Trade Showcase" on the Tempe campus for students to learn more about the process and to try Fairtrade-certified products, which was organized by Sun Devil Hospitality and University Sustainability Practices.
Isabella Kekevian, a senior studying popular music and a member of the Eco-Reps program, said the University focuses on fair trade because it is one of the biggest parts of sustainability and aligns with ASU's three fundamental pillars: people, planet and profit.
Kekevian said students can make an impact by looking around their campus for small ways to support fair trade and to be conscious of what products they are buying.
"There's so many different ways to contribute to a sustainable campus," Kekevian said. "We're not asking anybody to change their lifestyle completely, just those little steps. If everybody were to take them, it makes a more sustainable campus."
According to the Fairtrade International website, products that are fairly traded come with a certified mark. Some companies will label themselves as fair trade without being certified, so the organization has confirmed marks for consumers to decipher between authentic and fake marks.
"A Fairtrade product is essentially a product that was made in safe working conditions and with sustainable materials," Kekevian said. "If you see a Fairtrade product, you know that it was well made and made with sustainability in mind."
ASU offers details on where students can find Fairtrade products on campus.
The impact
Bella Taylor, an assistant for Redemption Market, said purchasing fairly traded products helps victims of trafficking all across the world. The women-owned social impact store is dedicated to promoting ethical brands.
The Phoenix-based company resells materials from ethical, sustainable sources, often from anti-trafficking organizations like Starfish Project, to help survivors of trafficking in Southeast Asia.
"They have a passion to fight human trafficking, and they are creating opportunities for survivors to find other means of dignified income," Taylor said. "It's a way for them to not only be rescued themselves, but then also to build a better future for themselves and their families."
Taylor said forced labor and labor trafficking are behind a lot of the products that reach our shelves. By buying certified fair trade products, Taylor said it's a step consumers can take to help ensure just treatment of workers worldwide.
"Oftentimes, the people in those industries are slaves. It's human trafficking. They operate off of slave labor, and that is why our products are so cheap because the people on the other side of it are making pennies," Taylor said. "Getting things that have the certified Fairtrade stamp of approval on the packaging means that the people who are at the very beginning process of your product are being paid fairly and sustainably."
Taylor said these organizations help victims of trafficking by teaching them basic skills of running a business and selling and making products.
Organizations such as the Starfish Project provide fair compensation, safe living accommodations, health care and the opportunity to further their education, Taylor said.
She said the best way for people to support fair trade is by being conscious of what products they are buying and where they purchase them from.
"The majority of people are kind of living the 'ignorance is bliss' situation; the Fair Trade label isn't really important because no one has really pointed out why it's important," Taylor said. "Pursuing fair trade products means that you are helping the world become a better place just through the power of your purchase."
Editor's note: If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available.
ASU crisis line, 480-921-1006
Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 988
Editor's note: The opinions presented in this column are the author's and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
Edited by Senna James, Abigail Beck and Alexis Heichman.
Reach the reporter at alillest@asu.edu and follow @allylillestol on X.
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Allison is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication. This is her first semester at The State Press. She has also worked at Arizona PBS and Blaze Radio.
