Documents - sources

Des nouvelles du Fair Trade Ressource Network aux États-Unis

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January 2007 Fair Trade Resource Network Update

FTRN announces new acting Executive Director
The Fair Trade Resource Network is pleased to introduce our new director, Anne Lally. Anne is deeply committed to issues of social justice and has extensive work experience in Fair Trade, the anti-sweatshop movement, and defending human rights--just to name a few. A speaker of four languages, she has worked both here at home and internationally. We are excited to have her join the FTRN team. She will begin February 1. Welcome, Anne!

New website in the making
As the Fair Trade movement grows, we need to find better ways to communicate with each other and the public at large. In response to this need, FTRN is creating a new interactive website linking Fair Trade organizations. We are in the planning phase, so please send ideas and suggestions to Dick: cuenca@scattercreek.com.

United Students for Fair Trade will host their annual convergence on Presidents' Day weekend (Feb 16-18) in Boston. It promises to be an inspiring weekend! Interested in joining the Convergence Team? Contact Christina, at christina.c.m@gmail.com or Tawny, at tawny_elgatian@yahoo.com to get involved in the planning!

USA's first Fair Trade Town
Ten Thousand Villages joins the United States' first Fair Trade Town with its new store opening in Media, Pennsylvania. There are hundreds of "fair trade towns" in Europe, but Media is the first in the USA. Cities such as Boston, Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco are also working toward this goal. Learn more: http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/php/fair.trade/news.php

20th Anniversary
Equal Exchange celebrated their 20th anniversary this year with farmer representatives from 19 countries and numerous Fair Trade folks here at home. Congratulations! Learn more: http://www.equalexchange.com/20th/

Win a trip to Ghana!
Catholic Relief Services has a new exciting fund raising program. The "Raise Money Right" contests can help schools and parishes raise money and bring Fair Trade into the classroom. They also help students, teachers and youth ministers earn prizes such as free trips to Ghana, Fair Trade sports packages, and a year's supply of Fair Trade chocolate from Divine or coffee from 100% companies such as Peace Coffee and Pura Vida--all in solidarity with the farmers who grow the cocoa of Divine chocolate! Learn more: http://www.crsfairtrade.org/act_now/view.cfm?Id=28

Cooperative Coffees teams up with Bolivian coffee producers
In 2006, Cooperative Coffee folks flew to Bolivia to visit the Federation of Exporting Coffee Producers. FECAFEB is currently comprised of 30 coffee producer organizations, representing some 8,700 families. They are right in stride with the new Bolivian political reality in support of Indigenous voice and rights. Out of that impressive visit came Cooperative Coffees first contracts of Bolivian Fair Trade and organic coffee. Learn more: http://www.coopcoffees.com

Lutheran World Relief responds to Philippines typhoon
Typhoon Durian hit the eastern Philippines November 30th destroying tens of thousands of homes and claiming the lives of hundreds of people. LWR responded immediately sending over $15,000 for emergency assistance, saving many more lives. Learn more about LWR, its Fair Trade program and its exciting new virtual university: http://www.lwr.org

Fighting extreme poverty
To respond to the extreme challenges African producers face, SERRV International launched a multi-year focus for that continent. Cheryl Musch, SERRV’s Director of International Development and FTRN Board member, met recently with potential partners in Mali, whose population lives on less than $2 a day. For more information on their focus in Africa and their other Fair Trade development work, see: http://www.agreatergift.org/AboutUs/FocusonAfrica.aspx

Green Festivals success
Co-op America and Global Exchange’s annual Green Festivals, held this fall in San Francisco and Washington DC, were a great success with over 60,000 people attending. You don’t want to miss the next one in Chicago, April 21 and 22. Register now: http://www.greenfestivals.org

Sign Oxfam’s global petition to make trade fair
It just takes a minute to help make the world’s largest petition. Also check out their “big noise competition.” http://www.oxfamamerica.org/whatwedo/campaigns/coffee/what_oxfam_is_doing

The Conscious Consumer
FTRN has released the fourth edition of our flagship publication, The Conscious Consumer: Promoting Economic Justice Through Fair Trade, which provides a comprehensive overview of the Fair Trade movement. Spread the word about Fair Trade by getting copies for your family and friends: http://www.fairtraderesource.org/cc/cc.html

Sales increased in 2006 for most Fair Trade businesses and organizations. Media attention was also greater with national, regional and local papers reporting on Fair Trade values and businesses. Congratulations to everyone!

2007 World Fair Trade Day
This year's World Fair Trade Day will be on Saturday May 12. It’s never too early to start planning your special event in celebration of our international day. Check http://www.fairtraderesource.org to see what people have done in the past and what folks are planning for 2007!

FTRN thanks you for your support of Fair Trade. Best wishes for a fabulous 2007! Let’s go Fair Trade!

Un site des plus intéressant à visiter pour mieux consommer au quotidien:
www.consoglobe.com

Des infos utiles, des annuaires, un espace shopping (un peu limité je trouve), des services malins... bref que des bonnes choses en un seul site.

Qu'en pensez-vous ? La démocratisation des concepts "durables" par internet, ça vous parait être une bonne idée ?

Il est vrai que c'est parfois compliqué de s'y retrouver et de consommer de manière responsable... alors bravo à cette belle initiative.

Dans le récent buttetin électronique d'IFAT...

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Request for action against an ISO norm for Fair Trade

The International Standard Setting Organisation (ISO) www.iso.org has started a process of developing a norm on Fair Trade. While useful in technical fields (e.g. the size of A4 paper, screens etc.), ISO is not well equipped for dealing with social and development issues such as Fair Trade, not least because civil society is very poorly involved in ISO standard setting processes.

The four Fair Trade Associations, IFAT, FLO, NEWS! and EFTA are very concerned about the development of an ISO standard on Fair Trade. Fair Trade is a development approach with a high degree of flexibility. ISO standards are not equipped for this approach and cannot respond to these needs. If an ISO certification system would be approved it is likely to be very bureaucratic and expensive and might make it unaffordable for small producers to participate. An essential element of Fair Trade standard setting is the participation of producer representatives. ISO standard setting does not involve producers at equal level. An ISO standard would respond to the needs of consumers and businesses rather than producers and workers in poor countries.

Un nouveau document fait par le gouvernement du Québec est sorti en janvier.

Très documenté... vraiment du beau travail.

http://www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/NR/rdonlyres/99CF9F5D-766B-4981-96AB-B042BDF5D313/0/BioClips_Vol_10_no1_Janvier2007.pdf


[merci à Joanna pour l'info]

Les femmes sont-elles incluses dans le développement durable proposé par le commerce équitable ?

Une étude de cas sur la COCLA au Pérou, par Caroline Langis.

Cet article a été écrit à partir de son mémoire de maîtrise, dans le journal des étudiants de l'Institut des Hautes études internationales de l'Université Laval:

http://www.regardcritique.ulaval.ca/

ISO Assesses Whether to Undertake Standardization on Fair Trade
Source: Pacific Institute, 21 mai 2007

ISO's Consumer Policy Committee (COPOLCO) adopted a resolution at its 2006 plenary inviting "Consumers International [CI] to develop a proposal for new technical work in fair trade, including certification, for consideration at the next meeting of COPOLCO in 2007." As a first step to evaluating the feasibility and desirability of such a standard, CI conducted a survey among COPOLCO member countries, CI members, and fair trade organizations. The French standards association (AFNOR), which has recently produced a guidance document on the principles and criteria of fair trade, is joining CI's yearlong investigation of the possibility of a fair trade standard within ISO. CI and AFNOR's survey findings and the issues raised by the survey responses will be discussed at a one-day workshop that will be held immediately prior to COPOLCO's upcoming plenary meeting in Salvador, Brazil at the end of May 2007.

According to CI and AFNOR's preparatory report for the COPOLCO meeting, the desire to standardize fair trade is largely driven by a concern regarding the proliferation of fair trade initiatives, as well as a current environment where false claims are made without any accountability. The CI/AFNOR paper further argues that an ISO fair trade standard could: 1) reduce consumer confusion about various fair/ethical trade-related claims by clarifying the distinction between different certification and labeling schemes; and 2) mainstream the existing fair trade effort. Two possible scopes for an ISO standard are under consideration: a definitions standard that would seek to define ethical trade and clarify the differences between fair trade, ethical trade, sustainable trade, etc; and a baseline standard for ethical/fair trade that would provide minimum requirements for making "fair" or "ethical" claims.

A notable finding of the feasibility and desirability survey is that all of the fair trade organizations consulted oppose fair trade standardization within ISO. In addition, FINE, an umbrella organization of four major fair trade associations, as well as the ISEAL Alliance, an association of international standard-setting, certification, and accreditation organizations that focus on social and environmental issues, have released statements arguing that ISO is not the right venue to develop a fair trade standard. The fair/ethical trade groups, however, acknowledged the concerns raised by consumers organizations, and in particular, recognized the need to have more involvement of consumers in their initiatives. As a possible alternative, the fair/ethical trade organizations also offered to work with CI to develop definitions and categorization of various initiatives, as well as to collaborate on other initiatives that can address consumer concerns.

Plusieurs nouvelles publications à la chaire de responsabilité sociale et de développement durable de l'UQAM:

Lemay, J.-F. Sous la direction de Favreau, L. 2007. « Rapport exploratoire de recherche sur les pratiques économiques de commerce équitable au Burkina Faso et Sénégal », Cahier de la Chaire de responsabilité sociale et de développement durable, Montréal, ESG, UQAM, no 10-2007, 128 p.
http://www.crsdd.uqam.ca/pdf/pdfCahiersRecherche/2007/10-2007.pdf

Lemay, J.-F. 2007. « Commerce équitable : vers des chantiers de recherche ancrés dans la pratique, Une revue transversale de la littérature », Cahier de la Chaire de responsabilité sociale et de développement durable, Montréal, ESG, UQAM, no 09-2007, 90 p.
http://www.crsdd.uqam.ca/pdf/pdfCahiersRecherche/2007/09-2007.pdf

Sanogo, Y. Sous la direction de Favreau, L. 2007. « Coton équitable et développement durable au Mali : une étude exploratoire », Cahier de la Chaire de responsabilité sociale et de développement durable, Montréal, ESG, UQAM, no 08-2007, 67 p.
http://www.crsdd.uqam.ca/pdf/pdfCahiersRecherche/2007/08-2007.pdf

Audebrand, L.K. et Malo, M.-C. 2007. « Equita d’Oxfam-Québec : les dix premières années (1996-2006) », Cahier de la Chaire de responsabilité sociale et de développement durable, Montréal, ESG, UQAM, no 07-2007, 61 p.
Demandez le document au CRISES-HEC

Otero, A.I. 2007. « Étude de cas de l’organisation de commerce équitable IDEAS », Cahier de la Chaire de responsabilité sociale et de développement durable, Montréal, ESG, UQAM, no 06-2007, 75 p.
http://www.crsdd.uqam.ca/pdf/pdfCahiersRecherche/2007/06-2007.pdf

Hervieux, C. 2007. « Le commerce équitable comme innovation sociale et économique : Performance sociale et renouvellement des pratiques économiques - Monographie de Cooperative Coffees », Cahier de la Chaire de responsabilité sociale et de développement durable, Montréal, ESG, UQAM, no 05-2007, 81 p.
http://www.crsdd.uqam.ca/pdf/pdfCahiersRecherche/2007/05-2007.pdf

Bisaillon, V. 2007. « Commerce équitable comme innovation sociale et économique : le cas d’une fédération d’organisations de producteurs de café au Chiapas au Mexique », Cahier de la Chaire de responsabilité sociale et de développement durable, Montréal, ESG, UQAM, no 04-2007, 95 p.
http://www.crsdd.uqam.ca/pdf/pdfCahiersRecherche/2007/04-2007.pdf

Entrevue à l'émission radio "La semaine verte" avec Corinne Gendron lors de la quizaine du commerce équitable 2007:
http://www1.radio-canada.ca/actualite/semaine_verte/reportage.aspx?idDocument=37283&idItemMenu=26