Fair Trade & Social Justice
OCA's New Fair World Project
The Organic Consumers Association launched the Fair World Project (FWP) in September 2010 to promote fair trade in commerce, especially in organic production systems in developing countries as well as at home, and to protect the term "fair trade" from dilution and misuse for mere PR purposes. FWP fills the critical need for a watchdog of misleading fair trade claims, and a cheerleader for dedicated fair trade mission-driven companies.
The Arctic landscape is devoid of color during the frozen days of February. There's the white of the tundra, the white of sea ice and often the sky, and the darkness of cold, long nights. So when a wall of coffee-colored smoke rolled toward the small village of Nuiqsut in 2012, there was no mistaking—something was wrong
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"Bitter Cup: The Dark Side of the Tea Trade," investigates some of the lesser-known facets of India's tea industry, which is typically staffed by underpaid workers forced to live under dismal conditions. Few are also aware of the health ramifications these workers face, as they're frequently exposed to toxic pesticides — or that most teas, including the most prized, are contaminated with these chemicals.
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It's no mystery what Americans want to eat — or why the food industry is struggling. Consumers are demanding foods free of artificial colors, faked flavors, pesticides, preservatives, growth hormones, antibiotics and GMOs, as Fortune magazine reported in 2015 — these trends led by millennials are driving an "$18 billion food revolution."
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Paramilitaries, government troops, hired gangsters and smugglers killed 207 people trying to protect the environment from the spread of businesses like cattle ranches and sugarcane plantations in 2017, according to a new report by international NGO Global Witness. That’s approximately four environmental defenders killed every week of the year.
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Ghana recently hosted a conference focused on the question of GMO seed varieties versus those that have traditionally spawned the continent's staple crops. The increasing commercialization of food and agriculture, the diversity of crops, food as part of culture and identity and sustaining food needs without a switch to GMO agriculture dominated their discussions.
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Dr. Bronner’s has been internationally recognized for using organic ingredients in their products, and for their commitment to social responsibility. But over the last ten years, the company expanded its mission to include sourcing raw materials from certified Fair Trade and Organic (FTO) producers.
Read moreThe U.S. and Canada Are Preparing for a New Standing Rock Over the Trans Mountain Tar Sands Pipeline
On May 29, the Canadian government announced that it would nationalize the Trans Mountain pipeline to assure the expansion would be built, putting up 4.5 billion Canadian dollars ($3.5 billion) to acquire the pipeline and other assets from the Texas-based energy giant Kinder Morgan.
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“Genetically Modified Children,” a new one-hour documentary, exposes how Philip Morris and Monsanto have exploited generations of impoverished Argentinian farmers since 1996, when the Argentinian government authorized the use of genetically engineered crops to withstand the use of
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Thomas Burrell, a soybean grower for more than 50 years, noticed something was off last August, two months before harvest: The soybean pods planted in about 2,000 acres in the northern Mississippi Delta were flat and not maturing. But when he saw other soybean fields that used a more familiar seed variety, he said, they were vibrant and fuller.
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In the U.S., children under the age of 18 are legally barred from purchasing cigarettes or other tobacco products. But they are allowed to harvest tobacco on farms. Despite a worldwide decline in production, tobacco remains North Carolina’s most valuable crop. In 2017, the total value of tobacco produced in the state was just under $725 million, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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