Fair trade: Max Havelaar, Re: Transferring Wealth

[Sonja van Baardwijk-Holten]

The Max Havelaar products are actually quite popular around here. Especially since they are not that much more expensive then your regular run of the mill products, and you can get them in any regular shop and of very good quality. One of the advantages for the producers is that gready in between traders (the ones that are determining the prices and making the profit) are cut out of the deal and the money goes to the people who worked to make the product. So instead of making money with money and connections the labourers get the money as the fruit of their labour. An already rather long lasting and good initiative if you ask me. Fair trade for all.

Sonja

Mission of Max Havelaar products:
http://www.maxhavelaar.ch/web/havelaar/main.nsf/WMission/02Mission?OpenDocument&02
 
 

Dan Minette schreef:

----- Original Message -----
From: Julia Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2001 11:55 AM
Subject: Re: Transferring Wealth Re: W. on the Environment

>
>
> On Sun, 13 May 2001, J. van Baardwijk wrote:
>
> > Example of the right way: several food products here are sold under
> > the "Max Havelaar" label. These products still come from Third World,
> > but are not bought from large factories but directly from the
> > producers (read:  local farmers) themselves, and at a higher price
> > than those producers would get otherwise. This makes "Max Havelaar"
> > products a bit more expensive than other brands, but they sell quite
> > well.
>
> I like that sort of thing.  I don't know much about getting food products
> this way (except for coffee at certain places), but we have a number of
> *things* in the house that were made by hand by people who were paid more
> directly for their work.  (There's a nice set of wooden salad tongs
> knocking around here somewhere, and some magnets on the other side of my
> tall filing cabinet, for starters....)  My sister is really big on getting
> some of our Christmas presents this way, and knows where to go in DC to
> purchase such things.
>

That's a nice way to be charitable, and I certainly approve of it.  But,
unfortuantely, the market for these is very very small.  You are very much
in the minority in buying these items.  A few people are helped, and that is
a good thing.  But, it does not make an overall dent in the poverty of these
nations.

A real solution must involve the transfer of billions of dollars.  I cannot
imgine a voluntary effort doing this. I would love to be surprised on this,
but.....

Dan M.