PORTLAND, OR – Leading fair trade advocacy organization Fair World Project (FWP) has announced their annual campaign to celebrate World Fair Trade Day, which takes place May 13, 2017. The campaign is sponsored by dedicated fair trade brands Alaffia, Alter Eco, Dr. Bronner’s, Equal Exchange, Farmer Direct Co-op, Guayaki, and Maggie’s Organics. Nearly 1,500 retail outlets across the U.S. will feature promotions and educational events to support the campaign. This year’s theme, “Fair for Farmers & Soil,” puts an emphasis on the regenerative agriculture practices used by small-scale farmers that promote soil fertility and help to mitigate climate change.

World Fair Trade Day began in 2001 to showcase the small-scale producers at the heart of the global fair trade movement and the contributions they make to healthy, sustainable communities around the world. World Fair Trade Day is now celebrated on every continent (except Antarctica) by millions of people around the globe and is led by the World Fair Trade Organization and other movement partners. As a preeminent participant in World Fair Trade Day for the last six years, Fair World Project has organized successful retail campaigns to connect dedicated fair trade brands to consumers as an opportunity to distinguish themselves from brands who use fair trade ingredients in some products but do not have a dedicated fair trade supply chain. In an era where major corporations are taking stances on global politics and social issues, fair trade is a business model where action to support small-scale farmer movements and fair supply chains results in rewarding returns and job creation. Participating brands in Fair World Project’s program report sales growth of nearly 200 percent each year, demonstrating the increasing consumer demand for ethical products and fair trade brands.

“Consumer actions play a significant role in the big picture of trade,” says Dana Geffner, Executive Director of Fair World Project. “More and more consumers are saying that it’s important to them to shop with their values, they just don’t necessarily know which brands to trust. Part of the success of this program is that we’re able to help grocery retailers meet that consumer need, and support companies who are doing good work along their supply chains.”

Fair trade is a movement that empowers farmers to organize and earn a livelihood within the highly competitive global marketplace. Small-scale farmers are able to feed 80 percent of the non-industrialized world’s people on just a fraction of the land, compared to the total area used by multi-national agriculture and chemical corporations. While many are already using organic and regenerative practices, others still struggle to break free from the corporate stranglehold of the dominant industrial model.

“Every transformational movement starts with visionaries who show that another way is possible. On World Fair Trade Day, we celebrate the farmers and brands who are visionaries creating the fair, healthy, and regenerative food and agriculture system so many of us want but which too often seems out of reach.” says Kerstin Lindgren, Campaign Director of Fair World Project.

Though multiple definitions and programs for “fair trade” certification exist, Fair World Project works to educate brands and consumers about the standards reflected in various certification schemes, and how to keep eco-social terms and certifications meaningful and effective.

Learn more about Fair World Project, World Fair Trade Day, and campaign partners, at: http://fairworldproject.org/get-involved/world-fair-trade-day/.