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