FAIR TRADE CERTIFICATION

[Meaghan Curry]

Hi all!

My friend Anna runs The Massai Brand: http://www.maasaibrand.com/
We met at a COFTA, (http://www.cofta.org/en/en/index.asp), conference in May last year.
She wrote me a very excited email yesterday telling me that The Massai Brand had just been fair trade certified by COFTA's big sister, the WFTO, (http://www.wfto.com/).
It took her 2 years of back and forth monitoring and filling out countless documents, not to mention having to backtrack accounting documentation, (and when working on the ground in Africa this is not necessarily as easy as opening up a folder on your computer).
This got me thinking.
Fair trade is a social movement that has its roots in marketing strategies. An early 2007 window display in Barney’s in New York City advertised for their new range of ‘insanely sustainable’ clothing.
Would a closer inspection of the actual clothing factually justify this bold statement?
With so many accreditations being promoted, do they hold the same validity as a department store’s self made acclamation?
Is it really justified for companies to only work with certified producers, even though the majority of small cooperatives do not have access to this information?

Basically, I would really like to hear your guys' opinions on fair trade certification.
Is it necessary? Does it work?
Is it a matter of just educating the consumer?
Personal stories, opinions...let's hear em!

[Guillermo Lapidus]

Working in South Africa with people in the townships I know exactly what u r talking about when ,it comes to keep documentation in a "western type format". Not all people in Africa(& possibly too in other poor developing countries) have the education to do it like this, yet they manage to have a good, honest & successful business.I saw this many times here.

I also understand the need for these documents to be presented in order to validate that Fair Trade principles are maintained, especially when it come to pay & working conditions.
Perhaps there is a middle of the road certification? whatever the format of the application perhaps we should go back to the essence of the formation of the Fair Trade movement , a socially responsible one, to avoid excluding people that deserve to have a certification.
Professional Societies do this where they have different classes of membership that differentiate between recent graduates & long time practising ones(i.e.architects,lawyers,engineers, designers,etc).This gives them the opportunity to upgrade their status as you became "more professional" without denying you participation because you are new.
Guillermo Lapidus
Cape Sun Fair Trade- South Africa