About Fair Trade
Fair trade is market-based approach to alleviating poverty and promoting sustainability through ethical practices. It aims to educate and empower disadvantaged producers in the developing world and connect them to a market, so they too can participate in global trade. Fair Trade encompasses principles such as:
- Anti-slave, anti-child labor.
- Environmentally friendly processes & application of reasonable methods of production.
- A respectful relationship between producers and buyers
- A fair wage for the producers in local context.
- A safe & healthy working environment for producers in the regional context.
- Gender equality with respects to wages and working conditions.
- The development of communities for self-sustainability in terms of social, economic, environmental well-being & capacity building.
- Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged or marginalized producers.
- Preserving the culture & traditional skills of the artisans.
For more details about Fair Trade, click here.
Fair Trade Alliance Building Program: “Sustainable Growth Through Fair Trade Approaches”
Venue: Hotel Central Park, Gwalior (Feb 15, 2012)
Fair Trade Forum-India and SETU Consortium together organized a Fair Trade Alliance Building Program on 15th Feb 2012 at Hotel Central Park in Gwalior. The theme of the program was “Sustainable Growth Through Fair Trade Approaches”.
The basic objectives of this program were to promote Fair Trade in India & create visibility of Fair Trade, to develop networking & partnerships, market for the members associated with craft & food trades and strategies on using Fair Trade approaches for achieving Sustainable Growth.
The program provided an opportunity for a dialogue to understand the similar initiatives and explore a common platform to go forward together where all the like-minded organizations, NGOs, Corporate, Govt. officials & Educationists can take part and identify some potential alliance for near future. They also got opportunity to share about their own initiatives & experiences on a national platform.
To achieve the objectives, eminent persons & intelligentsias, key people who can be important agents of change & policy makers were invited from different spheres such as NGOs (local as well as others), Industries and Corporate, Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Chamber of Commerce, Management & Technical Universities, Government Officials, FTF-I officials & members.
The program was divided into three sessions. A kit (including a Jute bag, folder, Journal, pen and important brochures) made by our various artisans groups was provided to all the guests. All of these were handmade & completely sustainable.
The chief guest & Guests of honours for the program included Prof. Dr. P S Bisen, Mr. Sanjay Bindal and Mr. Devendra Chouhan respectively.
The first session began with the keynote address from Mr. SC Mittal (Sectary FTFI), who enlightened the crowd on History of Fair Trade. This was followed by few words from the chief guest.
The next session had the following eminent speakers;
- Ms. Rashmi Dhariwal (Founder & CEO SETU)
- Dr. Yogesh Upadhaya (HOD, School of Management, Jiwaji University)
- Mr. Sanjay Bindal (Plant Head M/s SRF Ltd, President CII, Chairman QCFI )
- Dr. Nidhi Deoskar (Associate professor, ITM University)
- Mr. O P Yadav (Official, FTFI)
The presentations by these speakers were very useful and motivating on achieving sustainability & implementation of different strategies to achieve the objectives of Fair Trade. They talked out about how comprehensive sustainability for the people at the bottom of the economic pyramid can be achieved by self-sustainable models of Social Enterprises, the viable organizational forms to achieve equitable distributions and about ethical consumerism and the difference between CSR and Fair Trade Practices, yet how they can bring successful results if they go hand in hand.
The session was quite interactive as the participants (from the audience) also shared their views on the subject and suggested some great thoughts on how the youth can be motivated to bring a major change in the social upliftment, how Govt. aid can be utilized for the livelihood generation of people in slums and how grants from NABARD can be utilized for trainings & micro-finance loans, etc.
In the post lunch session, speakers from NGOs mostly took active participation to share their experiences & initiatives about Fair Trade & the workings of their social organizations. They also shared their struggles and positive experiences with the crowd. We learnt that even though these organizations are different yet they could help and cooperate with each other directly or indirectly.
Partnership possibilities for creating marketing opportunities between the present members were explored along with networking between the NGOs for generating livelihood options for their beneficiaries was also created.
In all, it was a successful program which was appreciated by all the participants with requests to organize more such programs in the future.
PROGRAM: WORKSHOP ON FAIR TRADE/ CAMPUS OUTREACH PROGRAM
HELD ON: (October 17, 2011), VENUE: Institute of Hotel Management, GWALIOR (M.P.)
SETU conducted another ‘Workshop on Fair Trade’ on Oct 17, 2011 to spread awareness about Fair Trade among students. The campus was `IHM University’,Gwalior a renowned University in the sphere of Hospitality, Catering and Tourism. Our audiences were the future hoteliers, Managers and chefs hence our main motive was to enlighten them with the basics of Fair Trade & ways about how to alleviate poverty and promote sustainability through ethical practices along with the prospects available in their own field of edification and expertise.
SETU’s team leader was the speaker in this program. the presentation over lighted the idea of Fair Trade & ways to alleviate poverty and promote sustainability through ethical practices in their field of knowledge. She also enlightened the crowd on the initiatives of Fair Trade Forum- India and Fair Trade Movement in India and the globe. The aim of whole session was to share and disseminate the proper message to the students who in future can make difference by carrying the motive of Fair Trade to another Level & picking Fair Trade products over the ordinary ones and putting their bit to the society.
At the conclusion of the session, students excitedly participated during the puzzles round. Jute bags made from recycled material by Artisans Group in West Bengal were Distributed as prizes to those solving the puzzles right. The gathering liked and acknowledged the whole idea of Fair Trade.
PROGRAM: WORKSHOP ON FAIR TRADE/ CAMPUS OUTREACH PROGRAM
HELD ON: (October 11, 2011), VENUE: Maharaja Pratap College of Technology, GWALIOR (M.P.)
SETU conducted ‘Campus outreach program’ to spread awareness about Fair Trade among the students of `MPCT University’, which is one of the renowned Universities in various sphere of edification including Engineering, Dental & Management. The audience was young crowd of sixty-seven students therefore; the motive behind conducting the program was to spread the message of Fair Trade and Sustainable development amongst our future leaders of the country.
A Team of SETU including Ms. Rashmi Dhariwal, Ms. Archana Chauhan and Ms. Gulmohar Matta addressed the gathering where its head Rashmi was the speaker in this program. The session threw light on the basics of Fair Trade & ways about how to alleviate poverty and promote sustainability through ethical practices along with the opportunities in this sector as well as ifs & buts and pros & cons. She also enlightened the crowd on the initiatives of Fair Trade Forum -India and the Fair Trade Movement all over the globe along with the ‘World Economic Pyramid’. The aim of the whole session was to share and disseminate the proper message to the students who in future can make difference by carrying the Fair Trade torch forward & choosing handcrafted and recycled products over the ordinary ones while shopping and knowingly or unknowingly putting their bit to this righteous work.
At the end lag of the lecture, students excitedly participated during the interactive puzzles and discussion round, by sharing their views on the need of Fair Trade in developing World. Eco-friendly bags were distributed as prizes to those answering the questions correctly. The session was liked and complimented by many and the organization was applauded for its efforts towards this noble cause.
Once the lecture was over, SETU Team organized Hi-Tea for the students and faculty. The lecture was only possible with the help of the Director of the College “Brig. J. Matta (Retd.)” and his Faculty members. The Head of Department Ms. Namrata Gupta assured SETU’s team for help in a manner where their students can act as Volunteers in future events of the organization.
Making the world a fairer place!! Celebrating World Fair Trade Day!!! (14th May 2011)
On the occasion of World Fair Trade Day, a workshop explaining the ethical Business Model Fair Trade and its scope was organized for the students ofJiwajiUniversity,Gwalior. The students were all from the stream of MSW (Master of Social Work)
The session aimed at introducing the concept of Fair Trade to the young audience whose lives otherwise remain untouched by this benevolent idea. SETU team started the session by throwing light on the basics of Fair Trade and its principles and how Fair Trade can lend a helping hand to the underprivileged communities. After discussing the world economic pyramid, Fair Trade was presented as a powerful tool for alleviating global poverty & as an ethical business alternative to the conventional trade stream.
As the session unfolded, need of Fair Trade in the developing world was discussed at length. The idea of Fair Trade “trade not aid” quite appealed to the students. Also, they appreciated the social impact that Fair Trade signifies. Students enthusiastically participated in the discussion and shared their views on how Fair Trade can be converted into a mainstream concept so that more and more people can benefit from it.
The session was a motivating and inspiring one as many students were seen taking interest in Fair Trade. Many of them are planning to start their careers with NGOs & co-operatives and work for socio-economic upliftment of the needy masses.
Discussing Fair Trade and Green marketing!
2nd International Conference on Climate change and Sustainable Management of Natural resources (5- 7 December, 2010)
SETU team co-organized a conference on climate change and Green marketing with ITM Universe, a prestigious management school of Gwalior. The conference span over a period of 3 days from 5-7 Dec. 2010
In the session, SETU team head Rashmi explained the basic concepts of Fair Trade to the management students along with a heated debate on Green Marketing.
Keynote speakers in the conference were Mr. David Wittenberg (CEO, Innovation Workgroup); his clients include prestigious companies like Godrej, Ranbaxy, Infosys, etc.; Mr.N. Raghu Raman ( leading columnist and Journalist); Ms. Rashmi Dhariwal (Founder and CEO, SETU Consortium); and Swami Sarvanand Saraswati ji (Motivational speaker).
Corporate houses Godrej and JK Tyre gave case study presentations in the 3 day conference.
Green Marketing Session – 6 Dec. 2010
“Going green is the need of the hour” was the topic of discussion in the Green Marketing Session. In the present scenario, where customers re not much aware about the green concept and therefore show less inclination to buy green products; green Marketing has a long way to go. The speakers stressed on the fact that the future of green marketing is entirely in the hands of youth; only they can bring changes in people’s perception.
Mr. David Wittenberg addressing the green marketing session and SETU team head Rashmi speaking at the Green Marketing Session.
SETU shared its views on “going green”. Rashmi Dhariwal said that SETU envisions of a “self sustainable green world”, a world free of poverty and suffering and discussed about the various activities which SETU is carrying out to achieve this long term vision. She revealed the fact that SETU believes in an ecofriendly tomorrow pertaining to which all products at SETU are sustainable & eco-friendly. In her opinion, fears of climate change can be a history only when sustainable practices are followed with commitment.
Celebrating Fair Trade month “Carry the torch forward” (21 October 2010)
October being a Fair Trade month is special for all Fair Traders. Throughout this month, series of activities took place at SETU. Recent being our workshop session titled “Carry the torch forward”. Underlying purpose for choosing this theme was to spread the word Fair Trade among the youth; as despite being a sustainable and ethical business concept, Fair Trade is not known to many, especially today’s youth who are more than willing to do something useful for the society but are not aware of it. With these views, a workshop was organized at ITM Universe, a premier management institute at Gwalior. Going with the theme, the audience comprised of young management graduates. Our team head Rashmi started the session by throwing light on the basics of Fair Trade along with the opportunities in this sector; the ifs and buts, pros and cons, everything which lies at the core of it, was delivered. As the session gained momentum, students showed more & more interest in Fair Trade. Some interactive puzzles & quizzes were also incorporated to make the session more indulging. At the end, eco friendly bags made from recycled stuff were given away as prizes to those who got the solutions right. To sum up, it was a very good experience as students seem to be showing interest in this brilliant concept; even some are considering it as their career option!! We will be doing our best possible for them.
Team head Rashmi speaking at TEDx JNTU Kakinada (21 Aug 2010)
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas worth Spreading. TED Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. It has many versions in India under the name of TEDx One such event was organized at Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh accompanied with the theme “awakening young India” in Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, where Rashmi was invited as honorary speaker. To know more about TED visit www.tedxjntuk.com
SETU consortium team head Rashmi gave her presentation before 800+ engineering & management graduates of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh) on 21st August 2010. People from various fields attended the event. Rashmi’s presentation on social entrepreneurship & Fair Trade concept was a huge success as many students seem to be taking interest in Fair Trade.
Businesses are not only about making profits, they are supposed to fulfill a much bigger role of giving back to the society. This was the point which Rashmi made in her presentation titled “Doing good is good business”. She said that youth are tomorrow’s future and they should not only be concerned about making profits but should also be aware of their social responsibilities; only then a society can be benefited in the long run. Young entrepreneurs should develop the attitude of taking up social ventures as opposed to purely commercial ones. This results in a win-win situation for the business as well as for the society.
World Fair Trade Day Celebration
World Fair Trade Day is observed annually on the second Saturday of the month of May. It is celebrated all over the world by the supporters of Fair Trade.
A lot many people are still unaware of the concept of Fair Trade, especially the youth. This is a serious issue as most of the subsequent change & development lies in the hands of today’s youth and therefore it is very important for them to be aware of a wonderful and practical concept as Fair Trade. Also in today’s times of recession, when the number of job cuts is more than the number of recruitments in case of corporate sector, the young people would be more keen to look for alternate streams and, Fair trade offers huge opportunities for growth. There are many areas in which an exciting career can be made like community development, sustainable development in rural areas, working for NGOs and Cooperatives or starting other mission-based activities. Young educated youth can join these groups & communities and can help them achieve their objectives by working with them at the grass root level. Also they can help promote SHGs, cooperatives or start their own Fair Trade businesses. The young catalysts of change can reinforce the underprivileged communities by their knowledge & vigor. Generally the artisan or farmer groups are not well exposed / educated and therefore fall short on various dimensions like marketing of products, knowing the latest trends & technologies in the market. etc. Their problem can be solved to a great extent if the young educated folks help them in this regard. With a view to promote Fair Trade and to create awareness among the youth, SETU celebrated World Fair Trade Day with a theme ‘Fair Trade and Youth’. To mark this theme, a workshop was organized in Aditya College a leading Management Institute of Gwalior.
It was a highly interactive session where our President Rashmi told students the basics of Fair Trade; how it can bring a positive change in the life of artisans, career opportunities involving it, its basic principles and much more. In all, a comprehensive outlook on Fair Trade was given. To make the session more interesting quizzes were incorporated in the presentation and awards were given away to those who got the quizzes right. The session proved to be a huge success as many students were seen taking interest in Fair Trade. Some of them are even planning to make it their career. Looking at the positive response received we plan to organize more such sessions in near future.
Spreading the word “Fair Trade”
As part of our commitment for spreading awareness on Fair Trade, a one day workshop was organized at Jiwaji University, Gwalior with the target audience comprising of management and commerce graduates. The opening session was delivered by our President Mrs. Rashmi Dhariwal who explained how Fair Trade can be used as a business model for the upliftment of the poor masses. She gave the idea of “Trade not aid”.
Mr. Raghunathan (National trainer for Fair Trade and Management concepts and programme co-coordinator for development projects from Chennai) proceeded the session further and emphasized the dimensions and importance of fair trade along with other related concepts. In addition to this, role of youth in uplifting the underprivileged and marginalized communities was discussed at length. To make the session more indulging, easy tips on improving personality development skills were given to those present.
