Breaking Down Fair Trade Jargon
So you're new to the fair trade world, and you see words you don’t quite understand. Don’t worry; we’ve all been there, and it’s definitely a learning curve for all of us. No one wakes up and knows all the right words to say and what they all mean. We have previously talked about how the words we use hold weight and matter, but now we want to give a breakdown of some of those words that you’ll see us use frequently.
- Sustainable: Meet our needs without compromising the needs of the future. The seven-generation rule is thinking about how this will impact our descendants seven generations in the future. This concept comes from the Iroquois. Learn more here.
- Ethical: Morally good. Are business practices moral? Do they treat people in a way that is fair and decent?
- Fair Trade: An arrangement between producers and sellers where the producer is paid a fair price for their goods. Good working conditions and opportunities to meet all artisans' needs are crucial in fair trade practices. Learn more about the nine principles of fair trade here.
- Eco-friendly: Means doing no harm to the environment.
- Artisan Partner: Artisan partners are the fantastic people we collaborate with to bring you excellent Fair Trade goods.
- Conscious Shopping: Thoughtfully considering your purchases for their values + how the product fits your lifestyle.
- Fast Fashion: Fashion that is produced quickly, typically of poor quality, and is designed to be worn for a short period of time before being thrown away and replaced.
- Greenwashing: A deceptive marketing practice that attributes sustainable and/or values to a brand/product that isn’t there. Often focuses on one green/fair aspect of a product and ignores all the negative aspects and practices.
While this isn’t a list of all the words you may see us use, it is a starting point. The words we use evolve and grow as we do the same. We hope that it still helps you understand our word choice better and a little bit more about the fair trade community.