The fair trade movement has always been environmentally conscious. Yet fair trade and environmentally conscious agriculture have for a long time developed separately, without looking for parallels. However, in recent years they have gradually grown closer together and sometimes they merge completely.
Coronavirus, climate change, exploding inequality, destruction of biodiversity…the increasing number of crises is forcing us to face facts: we need to take a different approach to trade. We must accelerate the ecological and solidarity-based transition our society needs. And fair trade is the trump card to help achieve this.
Deforestation is not the result of market demand for timber alone. Many farm commodities and products traded daily on global markets are contributing to deforestation in a less obvious way. As the demand for these products increases, new arable land is required for soy, palm oil, cocoa, coffee, and other commodity crops. There is little action to resolve this issue as public authorities remain passive and private companies are lured by profit, but things are finally starting to move…
Within the framework of the Beyond Chocolate partnership, Chocolaterie Galler is joining forces with the Trade for Development Centre (Enabel), the Yeyasso cooperative in Ivory Coast, the University of Ghent and ZOTO to carry out a pilot project for the development of high-quality organic cocoa.
“Why could Benin not succeed in doing what France did?” That was an idea Edgar Deguenon took home to Benin in 2008 after an internship in France. He had visited many organic farming and short supply chain initiatives. Such initiatives can also help resolve issues that farmers in Benin face such as the high usage of pesticides and the related health problems, or the long supply chains with many intermediaries, which put much pressure on the farmers and keep prices low. With ten years of experience in this area, AMAP is a small organisation that explores the domestic organic products market and pioneers in connecting producers and consumers.
Since the 1990s, the flower industry too has been globalized. In 2013 the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI) was set up with the goal that 90% of flowers traded on the international market would come from sustainable farms by 2020. The slow flower movement are tending towards an alternative approach; they are choosing to grow flowers organically and outdoors, and then using short supply chains to deliver them to their customers.
“The COVID-19 crisis painfully exposed the vulnerabilities of our economy and of unregulated global supply chains… We need to make sure that responsible business conduct and sustainable supply chains become the norm, a strategic orientation for businesses.” says Didier Reynders in a webinar on due diligence.
Kimberley Process, Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices, as well as the Diamond and Development Initiative and its Maendeleo label used by the Belgian company My Fair Diamond, the TDC looks at various initiatives aimed at breaking the link between the diamond trade and social misery.
From fair trade coffee to fair fashion For many years the Fair Trade Towns campaign has shown that local authorities can play an important role
The number of shoe brands claiming to be ethical and/or ecological has mushroomed in recent years. So much so that some of them are on the verge of becoming major players on this huge market. Fleeting fad or a sea change for a business that is worth tens of billions of dollars?
The fair trade movement has always been environmentally conscious. Yet fair trade and environmentally conscious agriculture have for a long time developed separately, without looking for parallels. However, in recent years they have gradually grown closer together and sometimes they merge completely.
Coronavirus, climate change, exploding inequality, destruction of biodiversity…the increasing number of crises is forcing us to face facts: we need to take a different approach to trade. We must accelerate the ecological and solidarity-based transition our society needs. And fair trade is the trump card to help achieve this.
Deforestation is not the result of market demand for timber alone. Many farm commodities and products traded daily on global markets are contributing to deforestation in a less obvious way. As the demand for these products increases, new arable land is required for soy, palm oil, cocoa, coffee, and other commodity crops. There is little action to resolve this issue as public authorities remain passive and private companies are lured by profit, but things are finally starting to move…
Within the framework of the Beyond Chocolate partnership, Chocolaterie Galler is joining forces with the Trade for Development Centre (Enabel), the Yeyasso cooperative in Ivory Coast, the University of Ghent and ZOTO to carry out a pilot project for the development of high-quality organic cocoa.
“Why could Benin not succeed in doing what France did?” That was an idea Edgar Deguenon took home to Benin in 2008 after an internship in France. He had visited many organic farming and short supply chain initiatives. Such initiatives can also help resolve issues that farmers in Benin face such as the high usage of pesticides and the related health problems, or the long supply chains with many intermediaries, which put much pressure on the farmers and keep prices low. With ten years of experience in this area, AMAP is a small organisation that explores the domestic organic products market and pioneers in connecting producers and consumers.
Since the 1990s, the flower industry too has been globalized. In 2013 the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI) was set up with the goal that 90% of flowers traded on the international market would come from sustainable farms by 2020. The slow flower movement are tending towards an alternative approach; they are choosing to grow flowers organically and outdoors, and then using short supply chains to deliver them to their customers.
“The COVID-19 crisis painfully exposed the vulnerabilities of our economy and of unregulated global supply chains… We need to make sure that responsible business conduct and sustainable supply chains become the norm, a strategic orientation for businesses.” says Didier Reynders in a webinar on due diligence.
Kimberley Process, Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices, as well as the Diamond and Development Initiative and its Maendeleo label used by the Belgian company My Fair Diamond, the TDC looks at various initiatives aimed at breaking the link between the diamond trade and social misery.
From fair trade coffee to fair fashion For many years the Fair Trade Towns campaign has shown that local authorities can play an important role
The number of shoe brands claiming to be ethical and/or ecological has mushroomed in recent years. So much so that some of them are on the verge of becoming major players on this huge market. Fleeting fad or a sea change for a business that is worth tens of billions of dollars?
