Fair trade groups to join CebuNext

CEBU, Philippines - In its effort to promote products that are manufactured through fair trade system, the Advocate of Philippine Fair Trade Inc. (APFTI) is joining the upcoming Cebu International Furniture and Furnishing Exhibition (CebuNext) with the installation of Fair-Trade-Zone in the four-day event.

CebuNext, which will open this Friday at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, will again bring another attraction, helping small entrepreneur-farmers, and rural-folks directly in-touch with the international buyers.

The Fair Trade Zone, features premium quality home furnishings and accessories from fair trade producer groups such as Salay Handmade Paper Industries, Co-Nature Handicrafts, 3SHA Handicrafts, CD Handicraft, Filipinas Fair Trade Ventures, Friva Enterprises and Gabay sa Bagong Pagasa-Napo.

In an interview with APFTI Vicente Roaring, he said that the participation of these small fair trade producers was being pushed, in order to expose them directly to the buyers, thereby offering their products’ cost competitively.

“Our strength at this year’s CebuNEXT, is our ability to complement other products on offer at CebuNext, in terms of accessories and home furnishings,” said Jennifer Garaña APFTI marketing officer.

“What sets our zone apart from other exhibitors is our practice of Fair Trade, as we can confidently assure buyers that all products on offer are uplifting lives and have a low impact on our Earth,” she added.

Target visitors for the Fair Trade Zone includes wholesalers and retailers of high-end furniture and interior products, department stores, interior designers, architects and contractors, hotels, restaurants and the general consumers.

Part of the Fair Trade Zone’s participants’ expenses during the show, is being shouldered by the APFTI, Roaring said adding that participating international shows is part of the organizations’ effort to expose producers to the real-world of business, and also help them learn the art of negotiating to clients.

According to Roaring, letting them participate in international shows like CebuNext will empower these producers to have confidence in selling their products not only to the local consumers, but to international clientele.

Roaring said this is the first step for fair trade producers to enter the export market, as they are expected to network with big international buyers during the show.

Previously known as Cebu X, this annual exhibition that showcases the collective strength of the Philippine furniture industry has been reincarnated as CebuNext, highlighting Cebu as the design capital of Southeast Asia.

Fair trade, on the other hand, which is an alternative approach to trade grounded on fair wages, environmental sustainability and protection of cultural assets, gels with CebuNext’s philosophy.

The furniture expo’s key focus areas are on sustainability, return to hand-craftsmanship and individual design, which reflects the wide array of indigenous and eco-friendly materials that can be found throughout the country.

It also demonstrates the excellent workmanship of Filipinos in the area of finishing, casting, weaving, lamination and innovation.

APFTI envisions an empowered community of entrepreneurs fighting poverty and contributing to sustainable development through Fair Trade. APFTI also provides business and product development services, advocacy and market access assistance to small and medium community enterprises.