ABOUT
FAIR TRADE
FAIR TRADE CERTIFICATION
HISTORY
FARMERS
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
SOCIAL BENEFITS
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
In one year, a two-cup-a-day drinker of coffee
will consume the annual harvest of 18 coffee trees.
Fair Trade guarantees that farmers use eco-friendly
practices. The result is responsibly grown products that are
healthy for you and for the world we live in.
BIODIVERSITY
By keeping traditional small-scale coffee and cocoa
farmers in business, Fair Trade helps maintain diverse forested
ecosystems- one of the most threatened environments in
the world. Farmers who participate in Fair Trade
implement additional soil and water conservation, terracing
and reforestation.
SHADE GROWN
Over 80% of Fair Trade Certified coffee in the US
is also shade-grown. Growing coffee and cocoa under
the shade of natural forest canopy preserves crucial habitats
for a diverse array of plants, animals, insects and migratory
birds.
ORGANIC
Nearly all Fair Trade Certified coffee, tea and cocoa
farmers use organic pesticides---more than 81% of Fair Trade
Certified coffee in the US carries an organic certification. Even
non-organic Fair Trade farms are required to use integrated
pest management systems, which emphasize alternatives
to pesticide use.
SUSTAINABILTY
Fair Trade encourages farmers to use sustainable post-harvest
processing. For example, many Fair Trade cooperatives
have also invested in new environmentally friendly processing
mills that greatly reduce resource use.
Used with the permission
of TransFair USA