Celebrate Fair Trade Month with Global Exchange

What’s the difference between people who choose Fair Trade certified chocolate to hand out to Trick-or-Treaters and those who hand out un-certified chocolate? Lipstick. Kidding of course, but in truth the cocoa industry is no laughing matter. Let’s face it. Chocolate that isn’t Certified Fair Trade is just plain scary. The US Department of State estimates that more than 109,000 children in the Ivory Coast’s cocoa industry work under “the worst forms of child labor,” while the International Labor Rights Forum claims 284,000 children toil in abusive labor conditions in West Africa’s cocoa fields.

October isn’t just about Halloween. October is also Fair Trade month, a time to celebrate the economic model guaranteeing fair wages and healthy, safe working conditions for artisans and farmers. Fair Trade encourages environmentally sustainable business practices and prohibits the abuse of child slave labor.

Luckily people who purchase Fair Trade Certified chocolate are making a positive difference in the world. For years now, the cocoa industry has been linked to child slavery in Africa, unsafe working conditions for cocoa farmers worldwide, and harmful chemical pesticides that diminish the health of our environment as well as workers in cocoa farms. Fair Trade Certified chocolate guarantees that these and other conditions are prohibited, so consumers can enjoy chocolate as it is meant to be; a tasty sweet experience.

Global Exchange is doing its part to ensure that Fair Trade becomes the norm for chocolate and other products, not the alternative. Here are a few ways we’re working to promote Fair Trade:

~ Our Sweet Smarts Fair Trade campaign is a national network of individuals, from young children to senior citizens, whose simple, creative actions to educate and advocate for Fair Trade certified products transform communities and corporations to support small farmers' efforts to build a better future for their families. http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/cocoa/SweetSmarts.html
~In honor of Fair Trade month, our Online Store is giving out FREE Fair Trade chocolate with every order during October, while supplies last. http://www.globalexchangestore.org/holiday2.html
~Reverse Trick or Treating: A pleasant surprise will greet nearly a quarter million people distributing candy at their door, when youth reverse the Halloween tradition to hand adults a sample of Fair Trade chocolate. http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/cocoa/reversetrickortreating/
~Fair Trade Trick or Treat Action Kit: The first of its kind, our Fair Trade Trick or Treat Kit has everything you need to make Halloween something special. It includes Fair Trade Trick-or-Treat chocolate to hand out, a Halloween decoration, a Fair Trade is Boo-tiful poster to hang in your window, and more! http://www.globalexchangestore.org/trickortreatkit.html

credit info: Written by: Tex Dworkin, Global Exchange Director of Marketing, http://www.globalexchangestore.org/.