The Fair Trade Student Alliance held its annual holiday sale yesterday in the lobby of Mary Graydon Center, offering free trade goods from all over the world.
The Fair Trade Student Alliance is trying to "increase awareness on campus about fair trade issues... and abolish fair trade stereotypes," said Brittany Aubin, a sophomore in the School of Communication and president of FTSA. The group aims to overcome stereotypes about fair trade goods, like false claims that they are more expensive, low quality and not economically viable.
"Fair trade isn't about closing borders or preventing cross border trade... It's against exploitive practices and to give people a living wage," Aubin said.
Some AU students feel fair trade is not good for business.
"Fair trade is not a good way to do business. In a free market, fair trade goods are not able to compete with free trade items," Jake Waage, a sophomore from the Kogod School of Business said.
The sale offered a range of merchandise that included certified organic chocolates, handmade purses from southern Mexico, scarves from around the world and greeting cards made in Western Africa. Some of the items, such as the purses and the greeting cards, were sold at no markup, with all proceeds going directly to the makers.
The association reports that business has been good. On Tuesday, the group sold over $200. The group sold 27 greeting cards by students from an all-girls school in West Africa, on Monday, half of their total stock.
The group plans to donate all profits from other goods to the Islamic Medical Association of North America, who will use the money to fund shelters for Pakistani earthquake victims. The shelters will be used to protect quake victims from the approaching winter, which could cost almost as many lives as the devastating quake itself.
