Here are a few companies that exercise Fair Trade in popular goods:

Free trade is fair to businesses seeking to expand but it does not favor the rights of workers or seek to improve working conditions. Instead, free trade seeks to eliminate pay discrepancies (imbalances) from country to country. Meanwhile, fair trade promotes fair wages and working conditions for labourers.

With the differences highlighted above, fair trade is better than free trade. This is because fair trade aims at producing a product without the exploitation of both labor and the environment. Free trade, however, aims at generating more profit regardless of the production methods.

• Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream.
• Rishi Tea.
• Fair Indigo.
• Fairhills Wine.
• Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.
• Theo Chocolate.
• Blends for Life.

Fair trade is an expensive niche market to maintain, because it needs constant promotion and requires educated consumers. High marketing costs are one reason why all those fair trade premiums don’t make it back to the producers. Retailers may take advantage of consumers’ social conscience.

What Are the Pros of Fair Trade?

• There is an excellent wage system in place.
• Community benefits extend to more than just basic needs.
• Discrimination is not allowed.
• Child labor can be reduced.
• Social conditions can dramatically improve.
• It allows small business owners to become internationally competitive.

Learn more about the leading Fairtrade products below.

• Bananas. A go-to snack for people on the run, bananas are a supermarket staple.
• Cocoa. Chances are you ate some this week – the world loves cocoa, but wouldn’t love the conditions of many of those who grow it.
• Coffee.
• Flowers.
• Sugar.
• Tea.
• Cotton.
• Fruit/Juices.