Fair Trade Rockford

"Fair Trade Rockford" is the governing board of the organization that created JustGoods: a fair trade marketplace and who's mission is as follows:

The purpose of Fair Trade Rockford is to display and sell fair trade goods, to educate the public about fair trade, and to support activities and organizations promoting peace, justice and fair trade.

Fair Trade Rockford is in partnrship with and under the 501c3 of Rockford Urban Ministries (RUM). This project was originally an outreach project of RUM and continues in partnership with the governing board of Fair Trade Rockford. We are all located in the same building at 201 7th St.

JustGoods: a fair trade marketplace

JustGoods is a full out fair trade store dedicated to foreign and domestic fair trade. 80-90% of our store is in partnership with coops and family groups in developing countries. The other 10-20% is comprised of developed cooperative groups or organizations in the U.S. providing opportunites to minorites and the underpriveleged. Two of these are women's empowerment programs who support, train and sell products made by women in need. We also support Equal Exchanges' food products from small farms in the U.S. in danger from corporate farminng.

We are in communication with many fair trade organizations. Some of these we work closely with and some we keep in touch with on a regualr basis. These are not just our vendors, they are friends, organizers, buisness partners and people we intend to work with long term. Some of those are as follows:

SERRV     Ten Thousand Villages      Fair Trade Federation (FTF)    TransFair      World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO)   CoopAmerica

Fair Tade Independent Stores (FTIS)    Fair Trade Resource Network (FTRN)

The above listing is not a membership designation but rather a statement of involvement in fair trade. We are dedicated to working with these organizations long term to futher the mission of fair trade.

What is Fair Trade?
Fair Trade means an equitable and fair partnership between global and marketers and producers in Asia, Africa, Latin America and other parts of the world. A fair trade partnership works to provide low-income artisans and farmers with a living wage for their work. Also included are domestic fair trade organizations which provide the same partnerships in the U.S. and Europe.  All these producer groups must meet the fair trade criteris listed below.

Source: Fair Trade Federation and  JustGoods

Fair Trade Criteria

• Paying a fair wage in the local context
• Offering employees opportunities for advancement
• Engaging in environmentally sustainable practices
• Being open to public accountability
• Building long-term trade relationships
• Providing healthy and safe working conditions within the local context
• Providing financial and technical assistance to producers whenever possible
• Ensuring that there is no abuse of child labor
• empowering women in business
• Making sure that there is no slave labor

Source: Fair Trade Federation and JustGoods

Why is it Good for US?

Fair trade helps us here in the U.S. in the long run. In supporting and buying fair trade, we are in essence being pro-active in creating and sustaining fair and equitable trade in the world. In the economic crisis that we are facing these days, it is important that we are aware of what is going on in the world and that we take a stand to improve trade wages and working conditions for everyone. In this way, we help those in impoverished conditions everywhere, including the U.S.

Why Fair Trade?
Our consumer spending choices affect people's lives around the world. The products we enjoy are often made in conditions that harm workers, communities and the environment. But increasingly consumers are demanding more humane and environmentally sensitive products.

In today's world economy, where profits rule and small-scale producers are left out of the bargaining process, farmers, craft producers, and other workers are often left without resources or hope for their future. Fair Trade helps exploited producers escape from this cycle and gives them a way to maintain their traditional lifestyles with dignity.

What Fair Trade Products are Available?
Fair Trade encompasses a range of goods, from agricultural products from the global South like coffee, chocolate, tea, and bananas, to handcrafts like clothing, household items, and decorative arts.

How to Identify Fair Trade Products

Fair Trade products can be identified by the "Fair Trade Certified" label or the Fair Trade Federation membership logo. The "Fair Trade Certified" system involves non-profit organizations in 17 different countries, all affiliated with Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International. In the USA, TransFair USA places the "Fair Trade Certified" label on coffee, cocoa, tea, bananas and other fruits. This label is product-specific, meaning that its presence on one product doesn't mean that all of the companies products are Fair Trade. The Fair Trade Federation is an association of businesses that follow fair trade principles across the board, so its presence on a product DOES mean that a company supports the highest level of commitment to foreign fair trade -100%. The Fair Trade Federation is a federation of stores, wholesalers and businesses that deal "only" with foreign fairtrade. We support thier efforts to keep dilution of fair trade to a minimum.

Who Benefits from Fair Trade?
The Fair Trade system benefits over 800,000 farmers organized into cooperatives and unions in 48 countries. Fair Trade has helped farmers provide for their families' basic needs and invest in community development. However, these farmers are still selling most of their crop outside of the Fair Trade system because not enough companies are buying at Fair Trade prices.

To learn more about some of the producers of the products we carry, please visit our Producer Section

Frequently Asked Questions
Visit our the Fair Trade section of our Frequently Asked Questions page for a complete list of answers to your toughest questions about Fair Trade.