Does the price you pay for an item give a living wage to the maker or grower of that product? How do you know if it is a living wage— a fair wage? Fair Trade Organizations (nonprofit orgs and businesses that sell fair trade products) receive certification or thorough screening to make sure of their full committment to fair trade, thru certifiers such as: TransFair and Fair Trade Federation before they can display the Fair Trade logos.
The living wage or fair wage is calculated on the daily living wage in the country and region where the product was made because the living wage in Guatemala is different in urban and rural areas and it must be taken into account when applying Fair Trade guidelines to the pricing of the product.
It is such a small change to make— to change your spending habits and seek out fairly traded products whenever you can—– instead of purchasing products that exploit the makers or growers of the product. There are hundreds of products worldwide that are fairly traded. What a wonderful opportunity to give the artisan dignity and hope when they are paid fairly for their work. Look for the Fair Trade logos on the products you purchase!
