At Green Campus Co-operative, we supply Fairtrade certified cotton t-shirts. Fairtrade principles are at the core of our company, and it is important to highlight other products that you can buy to support Fairtrade values. When you buy products with the Fairtrade logo, you ensure that the goods you are buying have not been produced with forced or exploitative labor. Furthermore, through Fairtrade Standards, producers are paid a Fairtrade minimum price, ensuring a fair pay for the producers’ work.

Here is a list of six daily goods that can be bought with Fairtrade certification:

‍

1.    Coffee

Fairtrade coffee can be a great way to start your day! There are multiple coffee companies that offer Fairtrade coffee, one of which is Planet Bean Coffee from Guelph, Ontario. Visit them at planetbeancoffee.com, and check out their many different types of roasts.

2.    Tea

If you are more of a tea drinker (like me), there are also Fairtrade teas for you. Clipper Tea is a company that supplies blends of Fairtrade tea, such as the Clipper Organic English Breakfast Tea that can readily be found on Amazon!

‍

3.    Soccer balls

For both children and adults, soccer has always been a fun way to enjoy the outdoors. Volo Athletics is a company that only makes soccer balls that are Fairtrade certified. Check them out here: www.voloathletics.com/soccer/fairtrade-certified/

4.    Bananas

Banana is a fruit that goes well in many ways! Banana bread, crepes, pancakes, the possibilities are truly endless. Equifruit is a Fairtrade banana importer into Canada, and their bananas can be found at your local Loblaws! See their website at equifruit.com for other grocery stores that carry Equifruit bananas, and check out their fun social medias @equifruit on Instagram and Twitter.

‍

5.    Chocolate

Fairtrade chocolate is a tasty treat, and Camino is a company that produces wonderful different flavours of Fairtrade certified chocolate bars. Their website camino.ca shows their multiple types of chocolates and personally, I would recommend the “Salted Caramel Crunch”. It has a wonderful sweet and saltiness, with the perfect amount of crunch!

6.    Gold

Fairtrade certifications can also be applied to the mining of gold, so you can ensure the jewelry you wear is mined without the exploitation of workers' labor. Visit fairgold.org to find Fairtrade gold near you!

When you look for the Fairtrade Canada and Fairtrade International logo while shopping, you are supporting sustainability in three key aspects of workers' lives, which are: economically, socially and environmentally. Shop sustainably and start by looking for the Fairtrade logo on products!