For farmers and farm workers throughout the developing world who produce the products that Americans enjoy every day, low prices, market volatility, lack of access to pre-harvest financing and isolation can create a cycle of poverty. These farmers often cannot recover their cost of production or earn a high enough wage to invest in their futures. Families, communities and the environment all suffer as a result. TransFair USA is the exclusive third-party certifier for Fair Trade Certified™ products in the United States. Its mission is to build a more equitable and sustainable model of international trade that benefits producers, consumers, and the industry. Fair Trade Certified guarantees a fair price, facilitates community investment, ensures sustainable agriculture, and assists farmers to compete effectively in global trade. This allows farmers to feed and care for their families, send their children to school, and avoid cost-cutting practices that sacrifice quality. TransFair USA has enabled farmers in some of the most historically disadvantaged communities in the developing world to earn more than $100 million in cumulative additional income. Fair Trade Certified is considered the “gold standard” in ethical sourcing, due to high social, economic and environmental standards, and an equally high level of oversight. For consumers, Fair Trade Certified represents choice and transparency in their purchasing decisions. For retailers, manufacturers and distributors, Fair Trade Certified is both socially responsible and good business. With TransFair’s newest product category, Fair Trade Certified Flowers, the Fair Trade Certified label guarantees that thousands of flower workers in developing countries, the majority of whom are women, receive fair wages, protective gear when working around flowers, training on safe handling of agrochemicals, education, child care, paid vacation, maternity, and sick leave. They also receive a premium of approximately ten percent to invest in community and business development projects. The added revenue from all Fair Trade Certified products also funds sustainable community development initiatives including scholarships, healthcare and environmental restoration projects, which is improving the lives of five million beneficiaries in as many as sixty developing nations.
Website: http://fairtradeusa.org/
