Fair Trade

Why Fair Trade Clothing Is Essential

August 4, 2014 Margaret Badore, www.treehugger.com Create! Clothing, Fair Trade, Labor, Sustainability, usa

Pact Apparel offers a range of soft basics, from socks to tees in GOTS-certified organic cottons. The company has now also earned Fair Trade certification for many of its products, and is working to get certification for even more of its factories. Few American brands own factories, but rather have contracts with facilities overseas to produce the styles they design. In much of the world, wages for garment workers have stagnated or even gone down, while the cost of living goes up around them. Fair Trade certification has helped Pact better support the makers of their clothes. “It’s an opportunity for us as a brand to pay the right price for the product,” said Jeff Denby, founder of Pact. Fair Trade also guarantees that factory employees have full-time work, rather than seasonal jobs. Currently, all of the products being produced for Pact in India are certified by Fair Trade U.S.A., and the company is working with their sock factory in Turkey to also earn its certification. Denby has a background in mass-production, and previously worked at a firm that designed “everything from forks to furniture” for large retailers. He was appalled by the factory conditions he encountered while working in Asia, and concluded there must be a better way. “We don’t have to kill people to make mass-produced products.”

Alternative Economic Models: Food Co-ops And Fair Trade

May 11, 2014 Phyllis Robinson, www.smallfarmersbigchange.coop Create! Cooperatives, Fair Trade, Food and Agriculture

But, there is an alternative. If the goal of a movement is economic transformation, US and THEM can actually become WE – considerably more complex and nuanced an approach, but at the end of the day, a much more inspiring and worthwhile goal. And imagine the difference, when people feel ownership in a business model: farmers, workers, members all have a different relationship to their work when they own the decisions… and the results of those decisions. Not only are co-operatives a more empowering model in and of themselves, but in a co-operative economy, the entire system can be transformative. Supply chains are carefully and thoughtfully built so that while each party has their role to fill, a true partnership is formed – people are not reduced to mere “producer” or “consumer”, but instead, all parties along the supply chain become actors, more fully developed and invested in the entire supply chain, the product and the partnerships: quality, integrity, respect and transparency occur throughout the chain.

Progressives Unite In Call Against ‘Horrific’ TPP

May 9, 2014 Lauren McCauley, www.commondreams.org Resist! Congress, Fair Trade, Free Trade Agreements, TPP

Braving thunder and rain, hundreds of protesters rallied outside of the Capitol building in Washington DC on Wednesdayto declare to the government that "the entire progressive movement is united" in the call to reject unjust trade deals and embrace an economy for all. "They say 'Fast Track!' We Say 'Fight Back!'" the group chanted, referring to recent efforts by President Obama to push through legislation to cement the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, or TPP, without congressional deliberation. Thus far, the details of the deal have been negotiated behind closed doors, with the only information made available to the public via leaks. Under the banner "Fair Trade is Not Free," a diverse coalition of environmental organizations, good government groups, farm groups, and over a dozen unions took part in the protest, carrying umbrellas and placards, which read: "Stop Secret Trade Deals." "Let's show Congress that the entire progressive movement is united in the fight for a 21st century global economy that works for everyone," declared the Communications Workers of America (CWA), which organized the rally. The TPP has been blasted by critics for undermining labor and environmental standards, as well as the open Internet. "The TPP is a horrific thing," said Kian Frederick, national field director for Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch. "There's something for everyone to hate."

Is Fast Track Trade Promotion Authority For The TPP Dead?

January 30, 2014 Alexander Bolton and Vicki Needham, www.thehill.com Resist! Corporatism, Fair Trade, Free Trade Agreements, TPP

The people are on the verge of a major victory against transnational corporate power. Stopping the TPP seemed unlikely less than a year ago, but a campaign to educate the activist base of all the issues impacted by the TPP, pulling in more cautions non-profit organizations and unions as well as a growing awareness in the public has resulted in what looked liked a sure thing trade agreement becoming so toxic that politicians up for re-election do not want to be associated with it. This success shows that the people have more power than they realize. Of course, we are well-aware that the corporations do not give up and that we need to remain active in our opposition in 2014 and that this issue will come back in future years. Activists must remain vigilant to stop corporate trade agreements that undermine all we work for. At the same time we need to show a new path were trade can be designed for the betterment of people and the planet, negotiated in open with the participation of people all around the world. Our goal is not only to defeat fast track and the TPP but end the era of rigged corporate trade agreements. It is a goal the social movement can achieve if we remain focused on the task.

Stop the Fast Track of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement

September 21, 2013 Bill Hughes, www.baltimorepostexaminer.com Educate! Fair Trade, TPP, Worker Rights and Jobs

Margaret Flowers shared her views Wedesday in front of Penn Station in Baltimore on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement. She labeled it, “NAFTA on steroids.” Flowers underscored that the treaty has been “negotiated in secret,” and its terms, “classified.” She said that President Barack Obama has asked to “Fast Track” the treaty. This would allow him to sign it into law before the U.S. Congress is given an “up or down vote on it.” In other words, the measure would not go through the usual legislative democratic process, with hearings, transparency, the calling of witnesses, etc.

Corporate Interests Prevail in Transatlantic Trade Talks

July 9, 2013 Lauren McCauley, www.commondreams.org Educate! Fair Trade, TPP

As European officials gathered in Washington Tuesday for the second day of negotiations over the Transatlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA), critics sounded the alarm over corporate gifts, "dangerous deregulation," and a "bleak" outlook for citizens on both sides of the Atlantic. Many warn that because existing tariffs between the partners already run low, at roughly three percent, the talks will largely focus on eliminating regulatory barriers. "The [US Trade Representative's] office, representing corporate interests, will almost surely push for the lowest common standard," writes Nobel-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz.

«1 2 »

Daily movement news and resources