| PRESS RELEASE /FAIR TRADE MONTH |
Fair Trade USA, the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States, celebrated National Fair Trade Awareness Month in October with a multitude of news announcements.
Themed "Every Purchase Matters," Fair Trade Month unites Fair Trade USA's diverse corporate, nonprofit and individual supporters in hundreds of events, promotions and fund-raising activities across the United States, according to a Fair Trade USA Press Release. The goal is to generate awareness of Fair Trade and to empower consumers to use their day-to-day purchases to improve the lives of farming families and protect the environment. Additionally, Fair Trade USA's Board of Directors match every contribution made to the non-profit organization during October, up to $10,000.
"Once limited to coffee, U.S. consumers can now choose from more than 6,000 Fair Trade Certified products that span cosmetics, chocolate, spices, produce, grains, flowers, wine, spirits, and even fashion," said Paul Rice, President and CEO of Fair Trade USA. "The Fair Trade Certified label empowers consumers to make every purchase matter. It gives you the confidence that the high-quality products you love were sustainably produced and can have a positive impact on your own well being, on the people who produced them, and on the environment."
In 2009 alone, consumer purchases generated more than $14 million dollars for education, health care, clean water and other vital social services to support the more than 1.2 million farming families in the Fair Trade network around the world.
Fair Trade has generated significant momentum during 2010 in the United States. According to SPINS, sales of Fair Trade Certified™ products at grocery stores have grown by 30 percent this year i.e. to $140 million.
This was further proof that even in tough economic times, consumers care. In 2009, the BBMG Conscious Consumer Report stated that three-fourths of consumers (77 percent) believe they can make a difference by buying products from socially and environmentally responsible companies. The Report also says that two-thirds agreed that even in tough economic times it's important to buy products with social and environmental benefits (4 point scale). And over half (51 percent) agreed that they are willing to pay more.
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