“Fair Trade is a trading-partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in (international) trade.
It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to and securing the rights of marginalized producers and workers – especially in the South”.
Approved Definition by WFTO 2001
(for more details, visit www.wfto.com)
Fair-trade enables “making, trading and consuming products and that of offering and availing services with dignity – for sustainable development”. Fair trade focuses and enables fairness to the Producers and to the Consumers, as it ensures value for energy, the skill and labour, quality, time and money with a mutual concern and commitment ……
SIPA was promoted as a network of NGOs working with artisan-collectives in 1986, facilitating viability and sustainability of the economic initiatives of/by the marginalized for their socio-economic development. As a (not-for-profit) service-organisation practicing fair-trade principles, SIPA is actively involved in strengthening the efforts of grass-root producers with the market and the consumers – be it in craft-production and marketing, micro-enterprise and/or small & medium enterprise/industry initiatives – enabling better practice of fair-trade standards in the process of production, marketing and consumption.
SIPA thinks globally while enabling local initiatives to gain momentum through “FAIR-TRADE ” – as a way forward towards “making TRADE (TO BE) FAIR” – be it at local, national or in the global markets.
Through fair-trade, SIPA strives and supports sustainable livelihood of the marginalized and the rural artisans and their collectives in today’s inter-dependent global/village market-economy – through the International network – IFAT (International Fair Trade Association) that promotes and facilitates a responsive global trading by supporting the efforts of the Producers to face, sustain and grow as equal-force, building-up ethics and fair-trade standards in the present world trading system.
SIPA is able to reach-out to over 9000 artisans (in South India), through their networks and supports their efforts in linking economic and social empowerment processes for sustainable development.