Fair-Trade-Cotton for cotton producers in West Africa
14 Dec '06
2 min read
For the very first time, fair-trade-cotton with the official fair-trade-emblem will be available on the German market during the next year: The initiative TRANSFAIR plans to enlarge its product range by fair-trade-textiles during spring/summer 2007.
Firstly, shirts, socks and cotton pads are scheduled to be offered on the market. For the time being, already 25,000 cotton producers have joined the fair-trade-system – in view of the future introduction of fair-trade-cotton in Germany, the number will continue to rise.
The farmers and families benefit from the fair-trade-standards which contain fair minimum prices, pre-financing, obligations concerning the surrounding and a fair-trade-bonus that ensures the financing of social projects.
TRANSFAIR has started in 1992 as a non-profitorganization with the objective to support disadvantaged families of producers in Africa, Asia and Latin America and to improve their living and working conditions by means of fair-trade.
The organization does not deal in commodities itself, but grants the fair-trade-signet for those goods which have been traded according to the established fair-trade conditions.
The introduction of fair-trade-cotton will be focused explicitly on Africa. There are more than 15 Million people depending on the cotton production, and for many of them, it is the only source of income.
On the world market, African producers have to compete directly with the big players of the cotton industry. Moreover, subsidies of the industrial countries lead to the decrease of cotton prices and therefore to low wages threatening livelihood.
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