Fair Trade is a commercial system of solidarity and an alternative to the conventional one that pursues the development of peoples and the end of poverty, which is the awareness of lack in which most of humanity has lived and still lives. In Fair Trade, the supply chain is as short as possible, avoiding the presence of unnecessary intermediaries, and favoring the benefit for producers and consumers.
Fair Trade is based on these eight principles:
- Decent job
- inclusive economic development
- Gender equality
- Food safety
- sustainable livelihoods
- Ecological Balance
- Thriving Communities
- People First in Trade Policies
The International Fair Trade Charter establishes a different world view than the one we were used to. A world where we are all free to give and receive, without external intermediaries. A world where there is no longer depredation of Nature, but instead there is sustainable development, justice and equity, as the center of trade, business models and reciprocity practices.
In this way, everyone, through their work, can maintain a dignified and decent livelihood and develop their full human potential.
At Mandala Verde we believe that we are the generation called to make a difference in the way we produce and consume. We are the generation called to establish an economic and social model of cooperation, equity, a circular model in which we are all included and benefited: ourselves, our families, our groups, our environments, our Mother Earth.
The pandemic is a stoppage in the world, it marks a before and after in the ways in which we were trading, exchanging goods, products or services. In fact, many companies, businesses and industries simply ceased to exist, they collapsed.
In general, before the pandemic, our model of production and consumption was causing some of the greatest crises on a planetary scale: the degradation of the environment and the worsening of poverty, the enslavement of human beings never stopped, and the violence that all this generated and continues to generate is unstoppable.
The developed world has spent millennia depleting the Earth's resources at an inordinate rate, as if these resources were infinite. And yes they are, as long as you follow their cycles. Regeneration comes, spring comes, if you allow it and don't destroy everything first.
Developed countries have taken little account of the pernicious effects of production and consumption on the economies of impoverished countries and on the ecology.
Consumption is not only an individual or family action to cover our needs, but it is also a collective action that can have repercussions, both in our immediate environment, and in the lives of other people, or even in the future of humanity. .
There are many groups that are already organized and are organizing themselves to put Fair Trade into practice, which is an alternative way to stop this impact on our economies and Nature.
Respect for the environment is one of the essential conditions that all producer organizations must meet in order to market their products through Fair Trade channels.
Consumers are increasingly interested in what lies behind the products they buy. In addition to price and quality, they want to know how, where and by whom they were made. And this speaks of an elevation in human consciousness, which is very good for the materialization of the new consciousness of cooperativism, generosity, abundance for all, promoted by Fair Trade.
Fair Trade promotes the generation of opportunities for small producers. It promotes an equitable and long-term commercial relationship, a Fair Price for producers, it also fights against child labor exploitation and demands gender equity, as well as decent working conditions.
The internationally agreed definition of Fair Trade is: ?Fair Trade is a trading system based on dialogue, transparency and respect, which seeks greater equity in international trade, paying special attention to social and environmental criteria.
Does it contribute to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions and ensuring the rights of disadvantaged producers and workers, especially in the South? (World Fair Trade Organization, WFTO)
If you want to know the 10 links between fair trade and ecology, you can read it here THE ABC OF FAIR TRADE
EN 
ES