#019 The True Impact of Fair Trade

After my last episode titled Choices Make Changes; What is a Sustainable Product and How to Find Them, I thought it was fitting to follow that episode on something having to do with fair trade. Because the products that we choose to purchase not only affects sustainability but it also affects the lives of so many other people.

The value of imported goods in the US in 2019 was 3.1 trillion dollars. That is about $9,365 per person in the United States. Furthermore, about 53 % of the fresh fruit and 33% of fresh vegetables in the United States are imported. A huge percentage of these products come from countries where farm workers make $2.50 /hour or less. And it is these very people that produce 70% of the foods that the world consumes.

So think about this, 70% of the food that the world consumes is produced in countries where the annual income is less than what the average American spends on Starbucks coffee.  Yet we live in a country that is in the top 10 wealthiest countries in the world.

It is time to check your privilege. 

There is no doubt that on a global scale we need to rethink how we consume.  And it should be obvious that our consumer choices drives the market place. Consequently, our consumer choices can also make changes. Fair trade is simply a fantastic and real world way to level the playing field in favor of the little guy. 

Always live sustainably because this is how we build a better future. 

Patrick