Fair Trade in Europe started as a grassroots movement about 40 years ago. The aim was to alleviate poverty in the South Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean by building direct, sustainable relationships with disadvantaged producers and providing fair access to markets in the North.

Because different countries have different ways of working in this movement, there is no one definition of Fair Trade, but all in the field would agree with the following statement: Fair Trade is an alternative approach to conventional international trade. It is a trading partnership which aims at sustainable development for excluded and disadvantaged producers.

Fair Trade Objectives

Obviously fair trade means ensuring that our producers receive excellent remuneration for their work, often as much as double the price they would get from selling to an intermediary. However, at Pachacuti we go much further than this by

• striving to improve their working conditions;
• empowering women through working principally with organisations of women producers;
• ensuring that products are sustainable through the reduction of chemicals and the use of rainforest friendly tagua nuts for all our buttons;
• supporting community development in rural areas;
• providing a wage for elderly weavers and additional financial assistance through a medical and funeral fund;
• creating new designs which provide a new market for traditional skills at a time when the wearing of traditional dress is in decline and many artisans have lost their local market.

(The above definition is based on information published by BAFTS, for more information concerning fair trade issues and the role of the British Association of Fair Trade Shops you may wish to visit the BAFTS Web Site.)

Pachacuti's Fair Trade Policy Pachacuti aims to:

• Pay fair and where possible above market prices to our producers.
  
  
• Encourage the use of resources and production methods which are environmentally sustainable and appropriate to the region.
  
  
• Promote the use of designs and traditional creative techniques which reflect the rich artistic heritage of the Andean region.
  
  
• Affirm the value and identity of indigenous cultures.
  
  
• Establish long-term trading relationships with our producer groups to help alleviate some of the uncertainties of production.
  
  
• Encourage our producers to improve the quality of their products and provide additional finance to this end.
  
  
• Contribute to product development and thus increase producer's trade with other customers.
  
  
• Provide financial credit to all producers when requested.
• Actively support producers whose situation is particularly precarious through "non profit pricing".
  
  
• Enable groups of producers to implement community development programmes from the extra income generated.
  
  
• Send volunteers from the UK to support and participate in community development programmes.
  
  
• When buying from medium-sized suppliers, to look for fair wages, above average working conditions (good lighting and ventilation, provision of meals, holidays, social security) and involvement in the local community.
  
  
• All of Pachacuti's products are fairly traded according to BAFTS guidelines and our own rigorous fair trade policy.

A community felt making workshop in Urubamba, Nr Cusco, Peru.

Fair Trade Travel

Interested in traveling to South America or elsewhere with a fair trade travel operator?
Visit Equatorial Travel for further details at www.equatorialtravel.co.uk