VoiceOver 2015 positive about Fair Trade

Almost everybody was familiar with the term *Fair Trade. And 97 percent of the respondents think Fair Trade is an important issue. As one members puts it: ‘It focuses not only on improving production quality and income in developing countries but also on ensuring socially and environmentally standards.’ 
Another member says: ‘It helps small scale industries/businesses to compete globally.’  Others also point out that it raises awareness of what people are buying.

Fair Trade contributes to development
VoiceOver members (87%) think that fair trade contributes more to a better standard of living than ‘normal trade’. And therefore should be stimulated by the West. They are also of the opinion that with buying Fair Trade products, people in the Netherlands contribute to development. Although at the same time 57% of the respondents agree with the proposition that ‘products sold as Fair Trade are made to give people in Western countries a good feeling’. 

Critical remarks
There are also members that are more critical: ‘How sure are we that the producers are benefiting? And another member who worked for a flower farm says: ‘There is need for more supervision on the farms to make sure they stick to the Fair Trade guidelines. There is a lot of abuse in these farms and forms of discrimination including very poor wages for the work done.’

What are your experiences with Fair Trade?

_{* Definition wikipedia
Fair Trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as social and environmental standards. It focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries.}