Good question, the PG Tips ads make reference to the
Rainforest Aliance which is a similar type organisation to Fair Trade - On the PG tips website it says
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Turns out, the Rainforest Alliance is busy making sure that by 2010 all PG tips tea suppliers meet their high sustainability standards. Yes, I had that blank look on my face, too. Apparently, it means the thousands of farmers who grow our favourite tea must make sure that their hard-working staff are getting a decent wage as well as access to housing, education and healthcare. They also have to commit to protecting the environment from which they make their living, by introducing environmentally-sound farming techniques. Well, 'hear-hear', say I.
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The
Fairtrade Foundation site says that fairtrade means
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Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.
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So, if these are followed as they should be then I think they are a good thing.