Fair trade products are becoming increasingly popular and for good reason. If a product is fair trade certified it means that the workers that produced it were fairly treated and fairly compensated, and that standards for safety and environmental impact were high during production. When you purchase products that are fair trade certified you can rest assured that no people, animals or the environment were exploited during the process.

1. Coffee

Coffee is a great thing to buy fair trade. Most coffee is grown in developing nations where fair trade certification is even more important. Coffee provides a livelihood for many people and it is also good for the environment. Coffee trees are often used to prevent erosion of the land and provide foliage in places suffering from deforestation. When you participate in a trade coffee club you are helping to sustain all of these things and create lasting change.

2. Clothing

There are many ways to shop for fair trade clothing. You can search for companies that produce clothing using fair trade methods, of course, but you can also shop for secondhand clothing. Secondhand clothing may not have been made using fair trade methods but after the initial purchase, the original manufacturer is no longer the one benefiting. There are many secondhand stores that support noble causes in their communities, so supporting the store will be supporting the cause, no matter what you buy.

3. Beauty Products

An additional benefit of fair trade beauty products is that, not only are they better for the producers and the environment, they are better for you. The ingredients used in fair trade beauty or skincare products are safer and healthier than most mainstream, mass produced products.

It may seem overwhelming at first to shop fair trade, but with just a bit of research you can find a wide variety of fair trade certified products that you’ll love.