Fair Trade Teas
There are hundreds of different types of teas available throughout the world. One type of tea that does not get enough coverage though is fair trade tea. Fair Trade Teas are those that carry the fair trade mark. The idea behind fair trade teas is to ensure that developing economies are not being taken advantage of and that tea producers are working on a sustainable basis.
Here is the thing; throughout the globe there are millions of people picking and producing tea. Some of these workers are being paid an amount that does not even allow them to live, even though they work many hours a week. The people that employ them are also getting poor deals, meaning that they cannot afford to pay their employees any more than they already do.
Fair trade teas are those purchased from reputable suppliers, paying them a fair amount of money for their produce. This not only ensures that the manufacturers can continue to obtain more tea for world wide economies, but it also means that the workers are getting more money too; a better quality of life comes hand in hand with more money in developing countries.
The Fair Trade mark is something that is now known to people on a worldwide scale. Information relating to the Fair Trade mark is readily available, which means people can truly understand the concept of helping developing economies and allowing workers to actually have some quality of life for their efforts. All brands using the Fair Trade mark, many of which are fair trade teas, need to adhere to certain strict guidelines.
The Fair Trade mark monitors the fair trade teas industry extremely closely. Coffee is predominantly grown by individuals, where as fair trade teas are usually grown on much bigger estates. So in exchange for offering these estates better deals for their tea, they must offer their employees better wages as well. This links back to more cash and a better quality of living for everyone, creating a sustainable environment, where everyone is happier than before.
One thing that the Fair Trade mark focuses a lot of its efforts on is child and forced labor. Many people are stretched to their limits, forced to work every hour of the day. Alongside this, kids are drafted in to help, to try and meet day to day expenses. The Fair Trade mark ensures that fair trade teas are paid for in full, at the right price so that none of the above needs to happen.
The problem is that there are all sorts of fair trade teas on the market. Many manufacturers brand their products as "fair trade". This is not to be confused with the official Fair Trade mark, which can be found on a lot of fair trade teas on a global basis. Some brands have their own fair trade guidelines that they monitor, but they do not have the guarantee that the Fair Trade mark has, or the authority.
Return to home page 1 Tea
