One way to make your daily Cup of Joe greener is to buy Fair Trade coffee. “Fair trade” means that producers are paid a fair wage for their product, work in decent conditions and follow sustainable farming methods. Coffee was the first commodity in the United States for which there is an independent monitor that guaranteed these things actually occurred.

You will not be alone in buying Fair Trade coffee, big chains are marketing fair trade coffee to varying degrees. Espresso served at the 5,400 Dunkin' Donuts stores in the United States is fair trade. McDonald's stores in New England sell only fair trade coffee. In 2006, Starbucks bought 50 percent more fair trade coffee than in 2005.

While there is no current governmental standard for fair trade certification, there are third-party certifiers of Fair Trade products. Most belong to Fair Trade Labeling Organizations International (FLO).

Additional Resources

http://www.transfairusa.org  

http://www.fairtrade.net/