Ethics, fair, consumers become more responsible

And if you enjoy the holidays to become a responsible consumer? Here are some keys to understand what fair trade, responsible equitable, ethical, responsible, sustainable. Qualifiers multiply, mix and even evoke a substitute for a new way of doing business. So much so that the consumer may recover a little lost. Some definitions rnEthical trade is mainly based on moral criteria (respect for human rights, just compensation, no child labor ...). Fair trade must meet these ethical standards, but it also takes into account the environmental and economic considerations. It aims to organize exchanges between buyers in the North (called developed countries) and producers in developing countries (or countries) by providing them a decent wage while performing in "normal" conditions of work. The ultimate goal is to enable developing countries to access more quickly to development. Buy responsible is aware of the origin of products (in China or in the vicinity of the buyer?), Their mode of production (organic, intensive, child labor ...) and so on. Finally trade takes into account sustainable development criteria. This trading system must promote economic growth without being harmful to the environment or deteriorate social conditions. A little history rnThe Fair Trade movement is a citizen born in the late 1940s in the United States with non-governmental organization (NGO) with SERRV intended to promote sales from disadvantaged producers. He will arrive in Europe in the 1950s with the NGO Oxfam, which offers local products of Chinese refugees. In 1964, at the Second United Nations Conference for Cooperation and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva on the theme "Trade, not charity" was born the concept of "fair trade". Day and World Fair Trade fortnight 2010 rnUntil the 1980s, fair trade has been limited to a few crafts and foods (coffee, cocoa, tea, honey). The offer has since expanded somewhat: bananas, fruit juice, flowers, cotton, furniture, cosmetics ... The birth of consum'actor rnWith fair trade, responsible, sustainable or fair has also emerged a new type of consumer, "consum'actor. He helped transform the mundane act of buying in process thinking. The consum'actor becomes aware of his purchases and makes his purchase an ethical act or citizen. And the results are already at the rendezvous. According to a study Infoscan IRI, sales of fair trade amounted to 111.6 million euros in 2008, an increase of 8% over 2007. Not less than 45 million Fairtrade product that passed the supermarket checkouts in 2008, and this does not include products distributed in specialty stores or small shops. From the producer side, about one and half million producers and workers benefit from Fairtrade Fairtrade / Max Havelaar. Including their families, the label believes that this represents about 8 million people in 59 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.