If you do not already know that most imported soccer balls for sale in Australia are made using child labour, be prepared to hear about it.
If you have never heard of Fair Trade products, batten down for that too. With the world's poorest 49 countries accounting for only 0.4 per cent of world trade, something has to change and the Fair Trade movement is bent on achieving that.
Well established in Europe with Fair Trade products in most supermarkets and a matter of priority at most levels of government, the movement is to be promoted to Australia and New Zealand, from April 28 to May 13, in a Fair Trade Fortnight of speaking, tastings, displays and educational events.
According to the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand (FTAANZ), Fair Trade is committed to ensuring that producers in poor countries get a fair deal.
"This means a fair price for their goods (one that covers the cost of production and guarantees a sustainable livelihood); long-term contracts which provide income security; and, for many, support to gain the knowledge and skills that they need to develop their businesses and increase sales."
Executive Director of FTANZ, Neil Bowker, says the process involves farmer growers joining together to form a co-operative.
"That co-operative gets certified as a fair trade co-op," Mr Bowker told The Epoch Times , "and the farmers own the co-operative".
"The price the producer gets is negotiated between the buyer and seller," he explained, "but it will include the fair trade premium and the fair trade price."
The fair trade price is a set amount which guarantees producers' survival while the premium − an additional amount, which for coffee is US 10 cents per pound (A 11.9 cents) − goes toward community development.
Mr Bowker said Fair Trade labelling started in the Netherlands in the 1980s and spread rapidly through Europe but was only introduced to Australia in 2003. Fair Trade business, however, has soared since then with fair trade sales rising from $1.2 million in 2004 to $6.5 million in 2006.
There are now 100 licencees distributing fair trade products, not only through specialty stores, but also through the big supermarket chains Coles and Woolworths.
While Fair Trade coffee from East Timor, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia constitutes the biggest seller in Australia, other products include tea, chocolates and footballs.
Nick Savaidis, from the Australian based sporting goods brand Etiko, said his company distributes Fair Trade soccer, rugby, AFL and most recently, net balls, in Australia, not only as part of supporting the Fair Trade movement but also to eliminate child labour.
According to Mr Savaidis, multinational sporting company, Nike, admitted only last year that it had been using child labour to make some of its sporting goods.
On top of that most of the non Australian made soccer balls sold in Australia are still using child labour, to stitch their footballs.
"When you drive into a petrol station and you see all those cheap soccer balls out the front, ask yourselves how they can sell them so cheap," Mr Savaidis said, "One soccer ball has 650 stitches and the most one adult can do is six or seven a day."
Mr Savaidas said his company has set up a Fair Trade arrangement with a former child labour region in Pakistan. There is now a specific stitching centre for local women. They get paid 47 per cent more than other stitchers; their children are sent to school and a kindergarten and health care centre are part of the package.
Etiko and a number of other Australian Fair Trade companies, will be displaying their wares at FTAANZ events around Australia. They will be joined by guest speaker, Guillermo Vargas Leiton a coffee grower from Costa Rica.
As the manager and long-term member of Co-op Santa Elena, Guillermo will be sharing to Australian audiences the positive effects of Fair Trade.
"If we didn't have Fair Trade sales, most of the farmers would be cutting down their trees," he said, "100 per cent of our crop is sold to the Fair Trade market. The current price of coffee in the conventional market doesn't cover the cost of producing the coffee."
Danny Long of the Edmund Rice Centre in Sydney said the Catholic Church was fully supportive of the movement and would be running presentations on it in high schools during the Fair Trade Fortnight.
Mr Long said all the Fair Trade people he had met were very mindful of social justice issues.
"They are not in it for the money. They are all in it to help the world. If they make any profit they put it back to help others."
While activities around Australia vary from city to city and are best located on the Fair Trade website www.fairtrade.com.au . The Sydney Fiesta at Paddington Town Hall May 10, 6pm−9pm, will showcase a variety of Fair Trade products and features food and free wine provided by Kylie Kwong.
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