International Resources for Fairer Trade (IRFT)
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International Resources for Fairer Trade (IRFT) is a non-profit organisation registered as a Public Charitable Trust under the Bombay Public Charitable Trust Act. It was founded by Kirit Dave and Jan Simmonds in October 1995. Vinita Singh was the first Director of IRFT during the period 1996-2002 and tied up with DFID, and Traidcraft. Arun Raste succeeded her as the Director in IRFT and was heading the organisation till 2008, during which time IRFT opened 2nd office in Hyderabad and forged partnership with Hivos, BTC and Oxfam. During the tenure of Arun Raste, IRFT also forged partnerships with SAI, FLO, Better Cotton Initiative and FLA. IRFT gives farmers and artisans access to mainstream markets worldwide, by partnering with W.F.T.Organizations (in U.K., U.S.A., Netherlands & Germany). Large corporates are encouraged to inculcate social responsibility and ethical working as their core values. IRFT works with both ends of the
supply chain In commerce, a supply chain is a network of facilities that procure raw materials, transform them into intermediate goods and then final products to customers through a distribution system. It refers to the network of organizations, people, acti ...
by representing the producer as well as the consumer. IRFT participates in the
market economy A market economy is an economic system in which the decisions regarding investment, production and distribution to the consumers are guided by the price signals created by the forces of supply and demand, where all suppliers and consumers ...
and works closely with farmers and artisans to develop in them the skills to sell their products. Thus giving them access to a sustainable and stable livelihood. Through its approach towards ethical standards in factories and farms that represent producers, IRFT conducts ethical audits, provides code of conduct trainings and verifier training on remediation and continuous improvement. Some of their leading brand partners are Levi Strauss, Nike,
Marks and Spencer Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...
, Reebok and Burberry.


Mission

IRFT's mission is to empower farmers, artisans, companies and NGOs to develop business capacity and promote sustainable livelihoods for all of those involved in producing the goods we consume every day.


Fair trade principles

• Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers marginalized by the conventional trading system • Transparency and
accountability Accountability, in terms of ethics and governance, is equated with answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and the expectation of account-giving. As in an aspect of governance, it has been central to discussions related to problems in the publ ...
between trading partners • Capacity building to make producers independent of external aid • Creating awareness about
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 ...
• Payment of a fair price • Gender Equity, making sure the work of women is justly valued and compensated • Ensuring safe and healthy working conditions • Encouraging better environmental practices and the application of responsible methods of production. • Maintaining and developing trade Relations


Pro Sustain

Pro-Sustain, is an initiative by Hivos (Netherlands), IRFT India, FTF-I, and associate Shop For Change to contribute to building environmentally sustainable production and consumption that helps reduce
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 ...
amongst poor farmers and handicraft producers in India. The specific objective of the Pro-Sustain project is to create a consumer market for fair trade products in India that measurably contributes to the improvement of rural livelihoods and provides farmers and artisans with the resources necessary to follow environmentally sustainable production practices. Following on the premise laid out in the rationale for the overall objective, the project is built on the belief that the market forces, which have in many cases excluded the needs of poor farmers and handicrafts artisans, can actually be harnessed to create
inclusive growth Inclusive growth is economic growth that raises standards of livings for broad swaths of a population. Proponents for inclusive growth warn that inequitable growth may have adverse political outcomes. The definition of inclusive growth implies dire ...
and environmentally sustainable production by creating consumer demand for sustainably produced, fair trade products. By implementing a strategic marketing plan that includes events, targeted consumer outreach, and creative promotions, alongside a distribution strategy to make fair trade products easily available to consumers. The project should shift consumer buying patterns towards sustainable consumption in order to achieve its objective.


References

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External links



- official website Non-profit organisations based in India Organizations established in 1995