Fair Trade making its way into Eastern African consumers markets

On Tuesday 25 June, Kenya’s leading newspaper Daily Nation published an article about the expansion of Fair Trade to Eastern African consumers markets, starting with Kenya.

Its author Liz Jarman, who is also a director of Fairtrade Eastern Africa, points out the constant change of the definition of global trade and business operations. A special focus is set on the way business is conducted at the domestic level where concepts such as social enterprise businesses and ethical production provide the basis for sustainable output models.

Moreover there is also a development on the consumer’s side. Kenyan consumers are also becoming more sensitive to the supportive programmes that guarantee the highest standards of quality connected with environmental and community benefits. That means that they are more open to buying goods and services at a slightly higher price for the simple reason that the extra payment is ultimately channelled to a moral cause — usually for the support of vulnerable communities and for the development of programmes aimed at addressing environmental effects caused by manufacturing practices.

The article puts Fair Trade at the centre of these innovations, and emphasises that Fair Trade represents a strong pathway for enhancing and achieving national, regional, and international social and economic growth. From development programmes crafted by international development partners to national socio-economic blueprints, the Fairtrade label amplifies the relevance of value addition on goods and services through observance of the globally accepted standards.