An alternative trading organization (ATO) is usually a non-governmental organization (NGO) or mission-driven business aligned with the

Fair trade Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and enviro ...

movement, aiming "to contribute to the alleviation of poverty in developing regions of the world by establishing a system of trade that allows

marginalized Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. It is used across discipline ...

producers in developing regions to gain access to developed markets".European Fair Trade Association (1998). Fair Trade Yearbook: Towards 2000. p.23 & 25 Alternative trading organizations have Fair Trade at the core of their mission and activities, using it as a development tool to support disadvantaged producers and to reduce poverty, and combine their marketing with awareness-raising and campaigning. Alternative trading organizations are often, but not always, based in political and religious groups, though their secular purpose precludes sectarian identification and evangelical activity. Philosophically, the grassroots political-action agenda of these organizations associates them with progressive political causes active since the 1960s: foremost, a belief in

collective action Collective action refers to action taken together by a group of people whose goal is to enhance their condition and achieve a common objective. It is a term that has formulations and theories in many areas of the social sciences including psych ...

and commitment to moral principles based on social, economic and trade justice. Historically, the largest and most influential ATOs include: * EZA Fairer Handel * Oxfam-Magasins Du Monde * Oxfam-Wereldwinkels * Equita * La Siembra Cooperative * Plan Nagua * Just Us! Coffee Roasters Co-Op *

Alter Eco Alter Eco refers to two alternative trading organizations, founded in 1998 by in France, and followed by Mathieu Senard and Eduoard Rollet in the United States, and Ilse Keijzer in Australia. Alter Eco France Alter Eco France specializes in fa ...

* Éthiquable * Lobodis * Solidar'Monde * Artisans du Monde *

Veja Sneakers Veja is a French footwear and accessories brand. In Brazil, it also goes by the name of Vert. As of October 2018, Veja supplied its shoes to 1,800 retailers in 45 countries. They sold 550,000 pairs of shoes, generating $21 million in revenues i ...

* Gepa The Fair Trade Company * Ethiquable Deutschland * * CTM Altromercato * AgroFair *

Fair Trade Original A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

* Alternativa3 * Ideas * Intermon Oxfam * Claro Fair Trade *

Siem Fair Trade Fashion Siem is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Charlie Siem (born 1986), British violinist *Kjetil Siem (born 1960), Norwegian businessperson, journalist, author and sports official *Kristian Siem (born 1949), Norwegian businessman *M ...

Cafédirect Cafédirect is a UK-based alternative trading organization. History Cafédirect was founded in 1991 by Oxfam, Traidcraft, Equal Exchange Trading and Twin Trading as a response to the 1989 global collapse in coffee prices. Its aims was to "g ...

Equal Exchange Trading Equal Exchange Trading is a UK-based alternative trading organization. Equal Exchange is a workers co-operative distributing food and beverage products in the independent natural food sector. The organization's origins stretch back to 1979 "wh ...

Traidcraft Traidcraft is a UK-based Fairtrade organisation, established in 1979. The organisation has two components: a public limited company called Traidcraft plc, which sells fairly traded products in the United Kingdom; and a development charity c ...

Oxfam Trading Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...

* Twin Trading * Divine Chocolate * Cooperative Coffees * Ten Thousand Villages *

Equal Exchange Equal Exchange is a for-profit, Fairtrade certification, Fairtrade Worker cooperative, worker-owned cooperative headquartered in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Equal Exchange distributes Organic food, organic, gourmet coffee, tea, sugar, banan ...

SERRV International SERRV International is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit alternative trading organization, operating in the United States, Africa, Asia and Latin America. It began operations in Europe in 1949, and now operates in 24 countries around the world. I ...

Principles and practices

The defining characteristic of alternative trading organizations is that of equal partnership and respect - partnership between the developing region producers and importers, shops, labelling organizations, and consumers. Alternative trade "humanizes" the trade process - making the producer-consumer chain as short as possible so that consumers become aware of the culture, identity, and conditions in which producers live. All actors are committed to the principle of alternative trade, the need for advocacy in their working relations and the importance of awareness-raising and advocacy work. The idea of the " invisible hand" has given way to the idea of working "hand in hand" with the market regulated by democratic authorities. Alternative Trading Organizations generally support the following Fair Trade principles and practices in trading relationships: ;Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers :Fair trade is a strategy for

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

alleviation and

sustainable development Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...

. Its purpose is to create opportunities for producers who have been economically disadvantaged or marginalized by the conventional trading system. ;Transparency and accountability :Fair trade involves transparent management and commercial relations to deal fairly and respectfully with trading partners. ;Capacity building :Fair trade is a means to develop producers' independence. Fairtrade relationships provide continuity, during which producers and their marketing organizations can improve their management skills and their access to new markets. ;Payment of a fair price :A fair price in the regional or local context is one that has been agreed through dialogue and participation. It covers not only the costs of production but enables production which is socially just and environmentally sound. It provides fair pay to the producers and takes into account the principle of equal pay for equal work by women and men. Fairtraders ensure prompt payment to their partners and, whenever possible, help producers with access to pre-harvest or pre-production financing. ; Gender equity :Fair trade means that women's work is properly valued and rewarded. Women are always paid for their contribution to the production process and are empowered in their organizations. ;Working conditions :Fair trade means a safe and healthy working environment for producers. The participation of children (if any) does not adversely affect their well-being, security, educational requirements and need for play and conforms to the

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (commonly abbreviated as the CRC or UNCRC) is an international human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children. The Con ...

as well as the law and norms in the local context. ;Environment :Fair trade actively encourages better environmental practices and the application of responsible methods of production.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alternative Trading Organization Fair trade organizations *