Consumer unawareness affects fair trade returns

Getting so little support for their advocacies in the local level, the Cebu Fair Trade Network, an organization of small producers, academe, public and private sectors launched marketing campaigns aimed towards pursuing consumer awareness about fair trade principles.

“It is sad that our fellow Filipinos are not interested in our products. They think the products are not good especially if it is not exported abroad. It is time to reeducate and enlighten the consumers about the kind of products that we have,” said Southern Partners and Fair Trade Corporation’s Managing Director Geraldine M. Labradores.

SFTC is a fair trade organization based in Cebu and is actually one of the pioneers of fair trade in the city and a member of the CFTN. It is engaged in the manufacturing, trading, and exporting of processed food and fruit products. Labradores also administers the People’s Fair Trade Shop, the display shop of all fair trade products from all over Cebu province.

Labradores revealed that in terms of awareness about fair trade principles, the local level only has about less than one percent; this she said is precisely one reason why their fair trade products are not very much received locally.

“Our products entail a lot of explanation to consumers because we need to emphasize that these products are healthy and gives livelihood opportunities to our co- Filipinos,” she shared.

But in other countries Labradores said that most consumers are well aware about the products they buy and usually they scrutinize these products before purchase very much conscious about all its necessary labeling accreditation.

“There are many social movements abroad and they are very much strong. The more accreditation labels a particular product has, the more it is marketable to the consumers there,” she said.

However, local fair trade practitioners admit that they have been more active in their worldwide advocacy that might have been the reason why fair trade awareness is slim in the local level.

This is why to strengthen their local consumer awareness campaign, they have launched their “Amigo sa Fair Trade” program targeted for fair trade supporters, “People’s Fair Trade Yuletide Bundles” for this holiday season and their youth organization called “Ya! Fair Trade (Young Advocates for Fair Trade).

“There are so many consumers abroad who appreciate and patronize our products so why not our fellow Filipinos don’t appreciate it? Buying these quality products give consumers the benefit of contributing to the development of small producers,” stressed Labradores.

Fair Trade is a trading partnership based on dialogue, transparency and respect that seeks for greater equity in international trade. It contributes to the goal of sustainable development by offering better trading conditions and securing the rights of marginalized producers and workers especially from the Southern part of the globe.

According to the net, fair trade is an organized social movement which promotes standard for international labor, environmentalism, social policy in areas related to production of Fair Trade labeled and unlabeled goods.

This is actually one of the world’s most successful movements that provide producers access to the international markets through the organizations that carry the fair trade mark. Small producers are also given appropriate trainings that aides them to be come more efficient in their production and for their products to become more acceptable abroad. It is known throughout the world like in Europe, North America, Asia, and Latin America.