The concept of fair trade is not new. It developed widely in the 60s with the growth of specialized shops selling handicraft and food products as an alternative to today’s conventional economic system. Fair trade aims to achieve greater equity in world trade. By relying on shorter and more transparent commercial channels, it guarantees the rights of marginalized producers and workers, especially from developing countries. Therefore, it enables producers to live decently from their work and to be actors of a sustainable development model. In the end, fair trade is the pillar of an economy that respects economic, social, cultural and environmental rights.

Therefore, fair trade is based on a series of criteria:

• Economic criteria:

The goal of fair trade is to create opportunities for producers who are disadvantaged or marginalized by the globalized conventional trading system.

• Social criteria:

Fair Trade means a healthy and safe work environment for workers. Children’s participation (if any) have to be in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the laws and regulations.

• Empowerment criteria:

Fair trade is a means of developing producers’ autonomy. Fair trade organizations provide continuity during which producers can improve their management capabilities and access to new markets.

• Environmental criteria:

Fair Trade encourages better environmental practices and the application of responsible production methods.

• Awareness raising criteria:

Fair trade organizations aim to educate their customers and the general public about the injustices of the current trading system. They provide information on the origin of their products, the working conditions of producers etc.

How to be sure that those principles are respected? It is the aim of labels. Fairtrade international is one of the main fair trade organizations. It was established in 1997, and is an association of 3 Producer Networks, 19 National Fairtrade Organizations and 8 Fairtrade Marketing Organizations that promote and market the Fairtrade Certification Mark in their countries.

Those “Fairtrade Marks” – such as the ones below – are the most widely recognized ethical label in the world. This international organization makes it possible to globally recognize fair trade products. By purchasing products with this symbol, you will support farmers and workers as they improve their lives and their communities. It is a guaranty showing that those products meet the internationally-agreed social, environmental and economic Fairtrade Standards.

This is just an example. There are multiple declinations and several labels with different meanings helping the consumers to choose responsibly its purchases. Therefore, there are multiple ways consumers – you – can be aware of what it really means to buy a product.  The power of consumers, producers, and industry can drive change. Choosing the way your products are traded, it is making a statement about the kind of future you want to see.

Written by: Julie Anento, Likhaya by Virlanie Program Officer

Have you ever wondered in your life where are your clothes and accessories coming from? Who are the actual people who made them?And, in which conditions were they made?

There is no magic in fashion, but maybe, fashion can be bring more than physical transformation. Each trend has an impact. In fact, here is a new one that might make real difference: sustainable fashion.

It is when clothing, shoes, and accessories are manufactured, marketed and used in the most sustainable manner possible both in environmental and socio-economic aspects. This trend has known a real development since the “Fashion Revolution” born in 2013 as a response to the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh when an eight-story commercial building collapsed, leading to a death toll of 1,134. The building called Rana Plaza, which housed several garment factories working for various international clothing brands, collapsed in the morning, shortly after the start of work. Evacuation instructions given the day before, after the appearance of cracks, had been ignored by the managers of the workshops. This catastrophe is just one of the symbols of the abuses of fast fashion and wild globalization.

Fashion, as we say it, is a lifestyle. Indeed, it is, and should remind us that there are lives behind this lifestyle. It is also not just your life and the life of the creators, but the whole world at stake. Fabric may not be as one time use as plastic, but imagine 8 billion people buying, changing, and throwing clothes whole year round. That puts a lot of weight to the shoulder of Mother Earth.

Now, there are multiple ways to support sustainable fashion, and upcycling textile and other materials is one of them. Upcycling is a form of recycling. It’s the act of creating fashion products with second-hand materials, clothing or objects. The main difference between upcycling and recycling is that with upcycled clothes, waste becomes part of the creative process and transformed into something new– of higher value.

Upcycled clothing is a great way to give a second life to old worn-out or damaged materials by turning them into brand new pieces. This is also an efficient way to reconnect the fashion world with today’s world issues both environmentally and socially to counter-balance fast-fashion.

There are other enormous benefits to upcycling clothing. Because upcycled clothing uses significantly less raw materials, it massively reduces the harmful impacts of fashion production. Such as less water usage, less chemicals, and less carbon emissions. Also, as the clothing would have been discarded, it saves tons worth of clothing ending up in the landfill. Hopefully, it can also help the world provide more sustainable clothing to those who need it the most.

So why wait? Get in the trend and let’s make 2019 a sustainable stylish year!

Written by Julie Anento, Likhaya by Virlanie Program Officer

Edited by Antonette Flores, Likhaya by Virlanie Manager

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton