Walk around your nearby branch of Tescos, and you are observing the miracle of globalization. You can buy practically anything at very low cost. It might be dragon fruit from Thailand or roasted coffee from Chile - it’s available all year round. This is by far the greatest time in human history to be a shopper in the west. This has happened by intricate stock control and logistics, large scale production, strong market competition, and perhaps most importantly, the fact that many manufactured goods are sourced, and frequently made, in second and third world countries.
That final reason is rather important, and controversial. While shoppers are buying clothing, food, drink and other items made from second and third world nations at rock-bottom prices, workers and commercial enterprises in these producing nations are frequently cheated, and have no real sustainability as they are the last stop of a very lengthy string of middle men who control what they make, how much, and how often. This lengthy line of middle men all receive their pay too - meaning there’s not a great deal of revenue left for the end-of-line producer.
However, there is help for such exploited labourers and companies. Fairtrade is a movement which looks to empower such end-manufacturing business organizations in the poorer countries of the planet. It looks to get rid of the middle men, and renumerate the end-manufacturer a just price for an item in a far more direct way. You may have encountered Fairtrade products in your nearest super market. You’ll sometimes find they’re a little bit more dear, but by purchasing such ethical products or even ethical gifts - e.g. fair trade handbags - you will know the producer is working in a sustainable way that not only pays them justly through a much more direct revenue flow, but it also grants them to reinvest in their business through greater earnings, which actually contributes in a positive way toward these poorest areas of the planet.
