LAWYER EILEEN TAY wants to be an ethical shopper and knows that Fair Trade organisations encourage better environmental practices. Unfortunately for her, finding Fair Trade products in Hong Kong was a task in itself - until recently, when friends introduced her to a shop in Sheung Wan that sells clothes made from Fair Trade materials.
Tay says she wants to buy more than just clothing to support the Fair Trade movement, but says it's difficult. 'Apart from clothes, other things aren't readily available. And I'm not a big internet shopper,' she says.
Fair Trade is an international trading partnership that helps marginalised producers and workers negotiate fairer prices and helps them climb out of poverty. A price above market value is usually negotiated through dialogue.
Fairtrade Labelling Organisations - an association of 20 labelling initiatives that promote and market the Fair Trade label in countries such as the US, Australia and Japan - certify the products. The goods range from handicrafts to foodstuffs - including coffee, tea, chocolate, bananas, mangoes and sugar - wine and cotton. To qualify, the producers must also follow ethical principles such as banning child and slave labour and environmental conservation.
The movement is still in its infancy in Hong Kong. Although Fair Trade coffee, tea and other foodstuffs have been sold in local supermarkets for a few years, awareness remains relatively low. Local Fair Trade goods retailers and non-governmental organisations say the World Trade Organisation Ministerial Meeting last December provided a good start to deepening public understanding.
Mary Haigh, manager of St John's Cathedral bookshop which also stocks selected food items, says sales of Fair Trade items had doubled in the past year despite higher prices. For example, a can of drinking chocolate is about HK$42, twice the price of more popular brands.
