Fair Trade
Our sense of fairness develops at a very young age. From the time we are 3 or 4 years old, we want to make sure that we are treated fairly. If our sibling gets a bigger piece of cake, we cry and complain about unfairness. As we move into adulthood, we carry this keenly developed sense of fairness and justice. We know when we haven’t been treated fairly. We stand up for our family and friends when they have been put in an unjust situation. We cheer for the underdog who stands up to those who have power.
But the truth is that we are surrounded by unfairness and injustice every day. The reality is that the global economic system is unfair. Those who have money and those who run large corporations have tremendous influence and are able to define the rules of the game. Those who are poor have no voice. Their choices are limited by other people and situations that are out of their control.
A textile worker in Indonesia has very few options. She is forced to work 12-14 hours per day in an environment that is hot, dirty and dangerous. The company pays her pennies for each shirt she makes, which they sell in American stores for $30 or more. She earns a couple of dollars a day, and is thankful for the job, because she has no other options. If she did not work in the textile factory, she would have to scavenge or beg for food.
The textile factory is the best option that this woman has, but it is still not fair. Fairness demands that she should have other options. She should be able to work to support herself and earn a wage that enables her to live with dignity. Justice says that a company should not earn large quarterly profits on the backs of workers like her.
None of us would consciously make consumer choices that cause pain and degradation to other human beings. But unfortunately, many of the products that we buy are made in conditions like this. Over the past decades, we have seen a ‘race to the bottom’ in the production of consumer goods. Goods used to be produced in the United States, until lower labor costs in Latin America made it cheaper to produce there. Countries like Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Singapore undercut the Latin American labor market, and today, China is the cheapest place to produce. Businesses chase cheapness, even if it means that workers work in conditions that we would never tolerate for wages that are absurd. Our demand for the lowest prices is the reason that these oppressive environments exist.
We are well-intentioned, unwitting participants in the unjust systems and structures that cause harm to people. We don’t want to believe that our choices are what lead people to work in horrible conditions. But they do. Because most of our products are produced so far away, it’s hard for us to see and understand the impact of our consumer choices. We forget that those who produce the products that we buy are our neighbors and that Jesus calls us to love them.
Fair trade is a movement that helps to address the unfairness and injustice in economic systems. On the most basic level, fair trade gives producers a fair price for the goods that they produce. It allows them to earn what they deserve to earn. It helps them support their families, and it helps them to build healthy communities.
If people like us are willing to stop the ‘race to the bottom’, it could literally transform the lives of millions of individuals, families, and communities. A textile worker who earns $5 per day instead of $2 per day will be able to send her children to school, pay for medical care, and allow her to create a better future for herself and her family. This is what fair trade does.
As followers of Jesus, we should be willing to sacrifice for the sake of others. Perhaps we agree to pay 20% more for fair trade coffee or clothing. Or maybe we agree to wait a couple of extra days to have fair trade products shipped to us, rather than the instant gratification of having something today. We do these things because we know that small sacrifices can literally transform the lives of others.
Changing our spending habits is hard. Because we are spent years saying ‘yes’ to consumer culture, it may seem that even small sacrifices are almost impossible for us to make. Many of us are in debt and feel like we’re just barely making it. We don’t know how or where to start. The good news is that we don’t have to do this on our own. Jesus told his disciples (right after talking to a rich young man) that, “with God, all things are possible”. God is in the business of changing our hearts. As we pray and seek to honor Him with our money, and as we talk with each other, we will find that we can change. And as we do begin to change, we find freedom and joy – we are no longer slaves to the power of culture. We are able to use our resources in ways that help others.
We may also be tempted to think that our individual actions are too small to make a difference. We forget that we are part of a community of millions of other believers. We forget that we have the power to create markets. Consumers are not powerless. If people begin to demand fair trade products, corporations will have no choice but to deliver. This is an issue where the church can truly be the church. As singer and activist Bono said, “The church must become the conscience of the free market.”
If millions of Christians made simple choice about buying products like coffee, chocolate, clothing, and gifts through organizations like Trade as One, it could change the world.
At the beginning of this course, we looked at the life of a young man named Bauma. Let’s imagine what his life might look like if he joined a coop of farmers that sells fair trade coffee to consumers in the US.
Five years ago, Bauma joined a cooperative in his little village. The cooperative was connected with an organization that provides micro-loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries. Bauma received a loan ($500) that helped him to purchase some coffee trees and simple irrigation equipment. He went through a training program where he learned how to grow and harvest coffee beans. It has been a lot of hard work over the past 5 years, and there have been many challenges. Bauma has invested a lot into getting his coffee farm up and running.
Currently, Bauma produces 1200 pounds of coffee on his acre of land each year. He earns $1.30 per pound when he sells it to the co-op. About half of that money goes toward covering his costs. When all is said and done, he earns $65 per month from his farming activities. This doesn’t sound like much, but it has dramatically changed life for Bauma and his family. He is able to pay the $2/month for 3 of his siblings to go to school. He has been able to buy some rabbits and another goat to help supplement the family’s diet and provide additional income. He is saving money and is looking to purchase additional land. Bauma feels good about himself and about being able to provide for his family. Once, his life seemed hopeless, but now he is filled with hope and dreams for a better future. He is grateful for the people who buy the coffee that he produces.
Stories like Bauma’s are happening all over the world. And when we see lives changed like this, we catch a glimpse of the Kingdom of God breaking into the world.