Fair and square: from coffee to cosmetics, fair trade is the latest buzzword in consumer goods. Discover why these products truly are a better deal.(ECO-WISE: PERSONAL CARE)

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International trade may seem like a remote concept when you're choosing produce or grabbing a vanilla latte. But imagine for a moment a woman picking tea leaves from dawn to dusk on a Sri Lankan tea plantation, then carrying 30 pounds of tea a half mile to the weighing station--all for $1.63 a day. Or a banana farmer who receives a mere 1.5 cents per pound--less than it costs to grow the bananas. Now imagine that you can improve the lives of people in developing countries by simply buying fair-trade certified products.

At its heart, fair trade helps alleviate poverty by creating opportunities for small farmers, laborers, and craftspeople who have been economically disadvantaged by the conventional trading system. It helps marginalized producers and workers move from a position of vulnerability to economic self-sufficiency by ensuring a fair price for their goods, gender equality, safe and healthful working conditions, and environmental protection via sustainable farming practices.

Fair Trade Isn't New

The movement began in the 1940s when U.S. churches started selling handicrafts made by European war refugees at community fairs. Modern day fair trade was born of those modest attempts when political activists in Europe created "Trade Not Aid" in the 1960s as an alternative to multinational corporations. By 2005, more than 5 million disadvantaged people in Africa, Latin America, and Asia were benefiting directly from fair trade.

But the development of fair trade hasn't been without controversy. Some conservative economic groups see it as a subsidy that impedes economic growth. Yet, while fair-trade commodities are a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of international trading, international fair-trade sales have grown 20 percent each year since 2000--making it more than a niche market for socially aware consumers.

How to Get a Fair Deal