Fair Trade in 60 Seconds with FairTSA
Lucy, Meg and Georgia from the Lucy Bee team, met up with Winfried Fuchshofen, the Director of the Fair Trade Sustainability Alliance (FairTSA), who certify the Lucy Bee range of products.
There are various Fair Trade schemes but what sets FairTSA apart is the fact that the actual workers who produce the ingredients, benefit from the Fair Trade premiums collected on their products, rather than funds being added to a 'collective pot' and shared around.
If short of time and you’d like to know more, here we have a quick-fire guide to Fair Trade
Note: Q: from Lucy Bee and A: from Winfried Fuchshofen
Q: Are monkeys used to harvest the coconuts for Lucy Bee coconut products?
A: No, absolutely not.
Q: Do the farmers receive a fair wage?
A: Yes, they receive a fair wage in terms of the amount they get for the products that they grow.
Q: Are children exploited?
A: No, child labour is absolutely not ok. Child labour is prohibited.
Q: Do the farmers live on the farms or do they travel?
A: They live on their own farms.
Q: If you’re Fair Trade does it automatically make you organic?
A: Most Fair Trade products are organic but not all of them. The Lucy Bee range of products are both.
Q: Do most farmers eat their own produce and is there enough to feed their families?
A: Yes, food security is a big part of Fair Trade.
Q: Do you see the difference when you visit the villages that FairTSA helps?
A: Yes, there are very clear differences including living, education and access to clean, safe water.
Q: With FairTSA, do the workers have contracts?
A: Yes, all workers (which includes farmers and factory workers) have contracts to ensure they are not exploited.
Q: Do the workers have normal 9-5 hours?
A: As it’s a tropical climate there are 12 hour days. You cannot work longer than that and often they work less.
Q: Finally, what is one simple thing that everyone can do to help FT?
A: Buy products from a label you can trust. You do something for yourself; you do something for the workers and the farmers involved; and, also, for the planet.
Our thanks to Winfried for his time and sharing his valuable knowledge with us.
Lucy Bee is a lifestyle brand selling food, skincare and soap products all completely free from palm oil and with minimal use of plastic. Lucy Bee is concerned with Fair Trade, organic, ethical and sustainable living, recycling and empowering people to make informed choices and select quality, natural products for their food and their skin.
