An international system of equitable trade which ensures fair wages and conditions for producers in developing countries who grow or make products for international export.

Fair Trade provides an alternative to free trade - the dominant international trade system which is biased towards rich countries and one of the root causes of world poverty. Fair Trade is an important part of the Make Poverty History campaign.

If poor countries could raise their export profits by 1% it would lift 128 million people out of poverty.

Some of the biggest commodities in the world market are exported from developing countries to rich countries, most notably, coffee and cocoa. Let’s take coffee as an example: For every cup of specialty coffee sold for $3, coffee farmers in developing countries receive 3 cents.

This means coffee farmers across the world are trapped in poverty despite working full-time as producers of a commodity in high demand worldwide. Despite working hard all their lives and growing a high quality product, they cannot afford adequate food, clothing, health care and education for their families. Meanwhile a small number of multi-national companies who buy the product off the backs of cheap labour continue to record astronomical profits.

See Oxfam International’s interactive diagrams for easy to understand explanation of fair trade issues:

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moral fibre was started in 2002 to create & support opportunities for people in developing countries to benefit in an ethical and sustainable manner from the international market. They do this through the design, creation and sale of exceptional quality, stylish items produced under accredited environmental and Fair Trade practices.