"What is Fair Trade, and what does it mean to me?" Follow this SlideShare and finally get the answers you are looking for. Fair Trade is a powerful, consumer-driven movement empowering people to change the world through their everyday purchases. These slides were used in a presentation at "Wichitalks"... An event in Wichita, KS where speakers can share their passions through insightful, lightning-speed talks and connect more with the growing Wichita community.

1. !
Hello everyone! Thanks for checking out the SlideShare for “Fair Trade and the Power of the
Conscious Consumer.” My name is Toby Kriwiel, and I am the founder of a new Fair Trade
sports brand, Matano. You can check out Matano’s website at www.matano.co
I am very passionate about the Fair Trade movement and am excited to share about this topic
with you today!

2. In the world today, there is currently an estimated 1.2 BILLION people living in extreme poverty.
I know this is a vague statistic to emotionally absorb, but this means that these people are living
on less than $1.25 a day.

3. This 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty equates to about 14% of the world’s population.
However, for “low-income countries,” 44% of their population are living in extreme poverty.

4. Now many of these “low-income” countries actually have valuable exports to offer, but they don’t
currently have the ability to really capitalize on those exports. This is one of the main reasons why
the poverty level is so high in these countries.
It is not the lack of resources, but lack of access to the market that hinders their ability to move
out of poverty.

5. And to top it off, many of the big brands that use the exports from “low-income” countries are
consistently pushing down on the cost of labor and cost of production. This increases the profits of these
companies, but often can come with serious human rights issues in their supply chains.

6. The Fair Trade movement is an alternative to this system of business. It’s driven by companies and
consumers who want products that have a positive impact on the people who made them, and on the overall
environment.

7. Fair Trade is a certification for products that makes sure the workers who made the products are being
treated fairly.

8. What this means for the workers is that they:
1. Can earn a “livable wage.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_wage)
2. Have a more supportive working environment.
3. And most importantly, there is no child labor or forced labor

9. There are two main non-profit organizations who certify products as Fair Trade:
1. Fair Trade USA
2. Fair Trade International
These organizations essentially audit the producers of Fair Trade products, to ensure that the workers
are being treated fairly, and also that they are following the environmental guidelines as well.

10. So, when you are out shopping and you see one of these labels ^^^ … you will know that this product
was made ethically and is eco-friendly.

11. So what does all this mean for you, the consumer?
I didn’t want to put these slides together just to explain what Fair Trade is, but rather I wanted to show you
the impact you can have as a consumer, and why you should choose Fair Trade.

12. I think we need to better recognize the power that we carry as consumers.
There are HUGE brands paying millions of dollars to get our attention…. And this gives us power!

13. Imagine if every consumer in America stopped buying a certain brand’s clothing because it was found that
they use child or forced labor in the production of their clothes.
One of two things would happen: 1. They would quickly figure out how to produce their clothing ethically
2. Or the brand would eventually fail, because they would have no sales.

14. And this doesn’t just apply to Fair Trade. Even when we choose to buy an item from the local hardware store
or the big-box retailer… We are choosing to support something with every purchase we make.

15. There’s a new wave of businesses who are intertwining social impact with their business strategy.
As this sector of “Social Enterprise” grows, the amount of products that have a social impact has grown as
well.

16. Now consumers can choose to support brands that are having social impact in almost every industry of
personal items.
You can get your clothes, shoes, socks, groceries, ice cream, coffee….

17. …. sports balls, eyeglasses, headphones, medical scrubs, and sports apparel.
You can get all of these items and have a positive impact on the world.

18. The fact that there is 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty really bothered me, but I didn’t know much
about what I could do. I knew I could donate money to non-profits who are doing great work to alleviate
poverty, which I am all for. But I really wanted my everyday lifestyle to be having a positive impact as well.

19. As I’ve researched the Fair Trade movement and found many Social Enterprises, I’ve realized that I can have
a positive impact in the world simply by being a Conscious Consumer and by remembering:
“Behind every product is a person.”

20. Thank you for your time! I hope you are encouraged to live your life in a way that positively impacts the world
every day! Please feel free to connect with me via social media if you have any questions/comments.
You can also check out the (rough) talk I gave using these slides here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0lUQseeh90
Peace.
- Toby K.