The Importance of FAIR TRADE

It’s crucial to know what fair trade is and especially that it goes beyond coffee and chocolate, which not many people know about. Did you know that there’s fair trade wine? What about fair trade cotton? With the development of the Fairtrade organization, a business can become certified if they meet the following core requirements: high standards for social, economic, and environmental processes, in addition to no child or forced labor. This means fair wages for farmers and workers and that the company follows ethical and sustainable business practices.

There are 3 reasons why fair trade is so important:

1. Buying fair trade has a direct positive impact on the lives of farmers and workers.

I started The Good Tee in 2020 after coming face to face with the knowledge of the high suicide rates among farmers. It was heartbreaking to learn that more than 270,000 cotton farmers alone have committed suicide since 1995. Since our inception, it’s been our mission to use only Certified Fairtrade Cotton sourced from farmers in India so that we can offer customers and clients 100% transparency and confidence in knowing how their clothes were made. You’re supporting sustainable development and actively fighting against poverty and exploitation of workers that are often not made aware of their rights.

Fair trade is also important for fighting against the power imbalances that exist between businesses and vulnerable workers in developing nations.

3. Fair trade acknowledges climate change and promotes environmental conservation.

In particular to conventional cotton, is vastly genetically modified, large volumes of water are required, and they continue to use hazardous chemicals which have consequently affected people, biodiversity, and the planet. By investing in goods made from fair-trade cotton, you’re supporting social and environmental costs that are 5 times lower than that of non-certified GMO cotton farming.

Sustainability and social responsibility should be at the core of every decision a business makes. It's a great feeling to know that customers can confidently shop knowing they are supporting fair products and fair conditions.

2. Fair trade fuels sustainable development by helping secure the rights of workers.

In the fashion industry alone, there has been way too much exploitation of farmers and garment makers.

Adila Cokar is a media-acclaimed, award-winning social entrepreneur and author of the book, Source My Garment – The Insider’s Guide to Responsible Offshore Manufacturing (2019). She has over a decade’s worth of experience in sustainable product development, offshore manufacturing processes, end-to-end management, and business strategy. She is the founder of consulting company Source My Garment, which has become a bridge between fashion brands and garment factories, empowering designers to minimize costs but still sell responsibly made products. In 2020, Adila launched her newest venture, The Good Tee, a fully transparent and Fairtrade cotton-certified basics collection.