Ordinary Eve
Fair Trade and Ethical purchasing
"And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6.8)
It was an accident of birth that I was born in a rich country and I'm guessing you were too since 70% of the world's population cannot read and only 1% own a computer. When we see the images of Third World poverty on TV, our hearts cry out to God and our first instinct is to feel helpless or to send money. But is extreme poverty preventable? Could we actually change things by our actions?
Unfair trade is one of the main causes of poverty in the developing world. We all like a bargain but do we stop to think about the person who sweated to make our cheap T-shirt or picked the cocoa beans for our chocolate? If you paid £10 for it it's likely that the cost for the shop to buy it from the wholesaler was around £4. Then bear in mind that the wholesaler has to make a profit too, say £2 profit per item. That leaves £2 to pay the costs of materials, shipping and labour and you are getting down to literally pence that goes to the maker of the object. This isn't looking like a good equation.
Free trade = good?
But aren't free trade and globalisation positive things? Surely poor countries need to attract foreign investment? Without markets abroad wouldn't the producers be worse off? But our demand for t-shirts that cost £10, backed by the economies of rich countries puts profit before the needs of the people. The developing countries are forced to compete with rich countries, but the trade barriers and government regulations, that would have protected them, are often removed because the buying power of rich countries means they can hold poor governments to ransom - literally. In the end, big businesses profit and those producing the raw materials often don't receive a fair price for their goods.
The people behind the products
As Christians we need to consider the people behind the products, and change our shopping habits so that they benefit rather than exploit the poor. And what better opportunity to get serious about Fairtrade than now!
It's harvest time and when we have so much we should think about how we spend it. Because our money can do good if we spend it wisely.
Invest to save
t's not just about buying Fairtrade coffee and those dried bananas they always sell on the church Traidcraft stall. There are many ways to support fair trade. You might want to consider who you bank with and invest your money with. The Co-operative Bank has an ethical policy which includes a partnership with Christian Aid. Many life assurance companies and investment groups have ethical funds which you can choose to invest your money in. This way you know you will not be profiting from injustice.
You can also boycott certain companies that have a bad human rights records for their employees overseas. Big multi-national companies tend to invest in countries where they can make the most money, which is usually where laws protecting workers are slacker.
But by buying only from companies that are part of the Ethical Trading Initiative you can send a clear message that this is not acceptable. (And btw the companies involved include M&S, Next, River Island and Karen Millen so you won't be going barefoot in hemp!)
Legalism
Are we in danger of getting too legalistic and letting social justice issues take precedence over preaching the gospel? I would hate to become someone who is so caught up in 'works' that I loose my passion for Jesus. However in this case I can't separate the two. Jesus's actions were driven by compassion, so should ours be. Restoring justice is not a new idea; it is a common theme of the Bible. To quote Tearfund "justice appears on all the signposts that direct us to God's kingdom" and "God's call for justice is eternal"(Tearfund website 2004).
There are more than 2,300 verses of scripture concerning the poor; "It is the central message outside personal redemption"says Bono, of U2. Mission is not only about getting people into the Kingdom of God, it is about helping to extend His Kingdom here on earth. Therefore by ignoring social justice we are not fulfilling God's mission. Imagine a world where extreme poverty existed only in history - the time has come to galvanise!
