International Resources for Fairer Trade
Encyclopedia
International Resources for Fairer Trade (IRFT) is a non-profit organisation registered as a Public Charitable Trust under the Bombay Public Charitable Trust Act. It was founded by Kirit Dave and Jan Simmonds in October 1995. IRFT gives farmer
s and artisan
s access to mainstream markets worldwide, by partnering with W.F.T.Organizations (in U.K.
, U.S.A.
, Netherlands
& Germany
). Large corporates are encouraged to inculcate social responsibility
and ethical working as their core values. IRFT works with both ends of the supply chain
by representing the producer as well as the consumer.
IRFT participates in the market economy
and works closely with farmers and artisans to develop in them the skills to sell their products. Thus giving them access to a sustainable and stable livelihood. Through its approach towards ethical standards in factories
and farm
s that represent producers, IRFT conducts ethical audits, provides code of conduct
trainings and verifier training on remediation and continuous improvement. Some of their leading brand partners are Levi Strauss
, Nike
, Marks and Spencer, Reebok
and Burberry
.
to develop business capacity and promote sustainable livelihoods
for all of those involved in producing the goods we consume every day.
• Transparency and accountability
between trading partners
• Capacity building
to make producers independent of external aid
• Creating awareness about Fair Trade
• Payment of a fair price
• Gender Equity
, making sure the work of women is justly valued and compenstaed
• Ensuring safe and healthy working conditions
• Encouraging better environmental practices and the application of responsible methods of production.
• Maintaining and developing trade Relations
(Netherlands), IRFT India, FTF-I, and associate Shop For Change to contribute to building environmentally sustainable production and consumption that helps reduce poverty
amongst poor farmers and handicraft
producers in India
.
The specific objective of the Pro-Sustain project is to create a consumer market for fair trade products in India that measurably contributes to the improvement of rural livelihoods and provides farmers and artisans with the resources necessary to follow environmentally sustainable production practices.
Following on the premise laid out in the rationale for the overall objective, the project is built on the belief that the market forces, which have in many cases excluded the needs of poor farmers and handicrafts artisans, can actually be harnessed to create inclusive growth and environmentally sustainable production by creating consumer demand for sustainably produced, fair trade products. By implementing a strategic marketing plan that includes events, targeted consumer outreach, and creative promotions, alongside a distribution strategy to make fair trade products easily available to consumers. The project should shift consumer buying patterns towards sustainable consumption in order to achieve its objective.
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s and artisan
Artisan
An artisan is a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewellery, household items, and tools...
s access to mainstream markets worldwide, by partnering with W.F.T.Organizations (in U.K.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, U.S.A.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
& Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
). Large corporates are encouraged to inculcate social responsibility
Social responsibility
Social responsibility is an ethical ideology or theory that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act to benefit society at large. Social responsibility is a duty every individual or organization has to perform so as to maintain a balance between the economy and the...
and ethical working as their core values. IRFT works with both ends of the supply chain
Supply chain
A supply chain is a system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Supply chain activities transform natural resources, raw materials and components into a finished product that is delivered to...
by representing the producer as well as the consumer.
IRFT participates in the market economy
Market economy
A market economy is an economy in which the prices of goods and services are determined in a free price system. This is often contrasted with a state-directed or planned economy. Market economies can range from hypothetically pure laissez-faire variants to an assortment of real-world mixed...
and works closely with farmers and artisans to develop in them the skills to sell their products. Thus giving them access to a sustainable and stable livelihood. Through its approach towards ethical standards in factories
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
and farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
s that represent producers, IRFT conducts ethical audits, provides code of conduct
Code of Conduct
A code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the responsibilities of or proper practices for an individual, party or organization. Related concepts include ethical codes and honor codes....
trainings and verifier training on remediation and continuous improvement. Some of their leading brand partners are Levi Strauss
Levi Strauss & Co.
Levi Strauss & Co. is a privately held American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of denim jeans. It was founded in 1853 when Levi Strauss came from Buttenheim, Franconia, to San Francisco, California to open a west coast branch of his brothers' New York dry goods business...
, Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
, Marks and Spencer, Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
and Burberry
Burberry
Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing, fragrance, and fashion accessories. Its distinctive tartan pattern has become one of its most widely copied trademarks. Burberry is most famous for its iconic trench coat, which was invented by founder Thomas Burberry...
.
Mission
IRFT's mission is to empower farmers, artisans, companies and NGOsNon-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
to develop business capacity and promote sustainable livelihoods
Sustainable living
Sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual's or society's use of the Earth's natural resources and his/her own resources. Practitioners of sustainable living often attempt to reduce their carbon footprint by altering methods of transportation, energy consumption and diet...
for all of those involved in producing the goods we consume every day.
Fair Trade Principles
• Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers marginalized by the conventional trading system• Transparency and accountability
Accountability
Accountability is a concept in ethics and governance with several meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as responsibility, answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving...
between trading partners
• Capacity building
Capacity building
Capacity building also referred to as capacity development is a conceptual approach to development that focuses on understanding the obstacles that inhibit people, governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations from realizing their developmental goals while enhancing...
to make producers independent of external aid
• Creating awareness about Fair Trade
Fair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
• Payment of a fair price
• Gender Equity
Gender equality
Gender equality is the goal of the equality of the genders, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality.- Concept :...
, making sure the work of women is justly valued and compenstaed
• Ensuring safe and healthy working conditions
• Encouraging better environmental practices and the application of responsible methods of production.
• Maintaining and developing trade Relations
Pro Sustain
Pro-Sustain, is an initiative by HivosHivos
Hivos is a Dutch organization for development co-inspired by humanist values. Hivos provides financial and political support to over 800 partner organizations in over 30 countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Southeastern Europe...
(Netherlands), IRFT India, FTF-I, and associate Shop For Change to contribute to building environmentally sustainable production and consumption that helps reduce poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
amongst poor farmers and handicraft
Handicraft
Handicraft, more precisely expressed as artisanic handicraft, sometimes also called artisanry, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made completely by hand or by using only simple tools. It is a traditional main sector of craft. Usually the term is applied to traditional means...
producers in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
The specific objective of the Pro-Sustain project is to create a consumer market for fair trade products in India that measurably contributes to the improvement of rural livelihoods and provides farmers and artisans with the resources necessary to follow environmentally sustainable production practices.
Following on the premise laid out in the rationale for the overall objective, the project is built on the belief that the market forces, which have in many cases excluded the needs of poor farmers and handicrafts artisans, can actually be harnessed to create inclusive growth and environmentally sustainable production by creating consumer demand for sustainably produced, fair trade products. By implementing a strategic marketing plan that includes events, targeted consumer outreach, and creative promotions, alongside a distribution strategy to make fair trade products easily available to consumers. The project should shift consumer buying patterns towards sustainable consumption in order to achieve its objective.