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50 Reasons to Buy Fair Trade

50 Reasons to Buy Fair Trade

by Miles Litvinoff and John Madeley

'Lively, accessible and inspiring.' Paul Chandler, Chief Executive, Traidcraft
Fair trade is a growing global movement. A huge and widening range of fair trade goods are now available in the shops. Why is fair trade so important? This book provides 50 reasons why buying fair trade delivers a host of benefits to people and the planet. It's an inspiring account of how every consumer can play a part in improving and even saving lives and making global trade work better for poor people.

Did you know that buying fair trade:
-- Helps eradicate sweatshops
-- Helps end child labour
-- Reduces the debt burden on developing countries’ farmers
-- Ensures small-scale farmers can earn a living wage
-- Supports and protects the environment?

This book provides a critical guide to international trade and shows that fair trade presents a realistic and positive alternative for farmers and producers in developing countries. By improving schools, healthcare and working conditions, the fair trade movement has already saved lives and empowered whole communities. This book shows how every consumer can help make a difference in the fight to end poverty and inequality.

Based in the UK, Miles Litvinoff has a long history of involvement in fair trade and the global justice movement.

Based in the UK, John Madeley had a long history of involvement in fair trade and the global justice movement. John worked on poverty and trade issues with United Nations organisations in Geneva, New York and Rome.

Even if you think you are reasonably aware of the fairtrade issue, reading this book is likely to lead to a long hard look at your shopping habits. - Sarah Meyrick An excellent guide to the subject, 50 Reasons to Buy Fair Tradeis well-researched and well-argued. By using the voices of many of the producers, quoted excessively in the book, whose lives have been changed radically for the better because of Fair Trade they make a persuasive case for ethical shopping - The Book Depository A lively, accessible and inspiring survey of how fair trade is bringing new hope to poor producers around the world. - Paul Chandler, Chief Executive, Traidcraft A wonderfully inspiring and uplifting book, which demonstrates the power of the personal choices we make as consumers. 50 Reasons to Buy Fair Trade not only offers 50 powerful reasons to choose fairly traded goods, but also tells us some of the compelling stories behind the products. And while each of the stories is very different, the message remains the same: fair trade changes lives. The fair trade movement is one of the great success stories of our time - and this book bears witness to its growing strength and importance. - Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP for South East England The best and most comprehensive guide around to the principles and practice of fair trade. - Joanna Blythman, food writer and campaigne This book captures the spirit of our times. We live in a risky and divided world and though as an individual you can't do everything, you can do something -- or, as this book shows, fifty things. This book is a celebration of social justice. - Ed Mayo, Chief Executive, National Consumer Council Buying fair trade is one of the most practical actions consumers can take against exploitation by the multinationals. This highly readable book shows how and why. - Patricia Barnett, founder and director, Tourism Concern This timely and well researched publication confronts those doubtful of the effectiveness of Fair Trade as an instrument for sustainable development with substantiated evidence. Litvinoff and Madeley's extensive overview of the advantages inherent to the logic of Fair Trade really contributes to the cause of increased justice in international trade. - Dr Frithjof Schmidt MEP, European Parliament Rapporteur on Fair Trade Fresh and clear as a see-thru mint. If this doesn't persuade you to support fair trade, nothing will - Anuradha Vittachi, OneWorld.net
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Back a system that benefits the poor
2. Pay small-scale growers a fairer price
3. Buy products you can trust
4. Help producers believe in tomorrow
5. Make trade more democratic
6. Put a human face on development
7. Ensure plantation workers earn a living wage
8. Empower women and girls
9. Enable people to eat
10. Save a cotton farmer's life
11. Be part of a growing global movement
12. Say Nuts! to unfair trade
13. Enjoy real quality, produced with pride
14. Send a child to school
15. Help make poverty history
16. Make your town a fair trade town
17. Shield small-scale growers from falling and erratic prices
18. Give someone's health a boost
19. Promote human rights
20. Free child carpet workers
21. Cut down the middlemen
22. Drink to a better world
23. Transform lives
24. Give bad balls the boot
25. Stamp out pesticide poisoning
26. Travel with respect
27. Support the environment [Be a friend of the Earth]
28. End child exploitation
29. Lift the debt burden
30. Say no to GMOs
31. Do something funky with your furniture
32. Rebuild lives and livelihoods
33. Make transnationals trade more fairly
34. Put paid to sweatshops
35. Buy into a longer-term relationship
36. Show solidarity with Palestinian farmers
37. Reach for the MDGs
38. Be a progressive coffee drinker
39. Help people overcome malnutrition
40. Co-operate with co-operatives
41. Prove the free-trade eggheads wrong
42. Make tomorrow's business happen today
43. Vote for trade justice
44. Enjoy that sweeter taste
45. Celebrate in March--and again in May!
46. Make markets really work for the poor
47. Invest in the future
48. Keep families and communities together
49. Defend diversity
50. Change the world!
Notes and sources
Appendix 1 Where to buy fair trade
Appendix 2 Fairtrade towns etc. in the UK
Appendix 3 Where to find out more
Index
Published by Pluto Press in Jan 2007
eBook ISBN: 9781783713882

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