The modern business environment is mainly focused on increasing profits and raising gains from trade. These entrepreneurship’s primary goals are not easily achievable; consequently, there is an impressive number of instances of unethical practices among business owners. Being blinded by the high profits, the entrepreneurs commit immoral acts and do not follow the general trade standards. The disobeying of trade rules has a detrimental effect on the environment and fellow global citizens. Therefore, fair trade plays an essential role in stabilizing entrepreneurship activity. The purpose of this paper is to define the concept of fair trade and to discuss its value to society through the example of organic products.
Basically, fair trade is the worldwide movement with the aim of persuading producers to put the interests of consumers and environmental issues in the first place while manufacturing the goods and offering services. The followers of the fair trade movement are committed to making choices that are focused on the idea of improving the quality of life in the world. They promote sustainable development through better trading conditions, transparent agreements between the partners, and environmentally oriented goods and services production methods. Generally, the free trade movement aims to exclude unethical business practices and focuses on sustainable entrepreneurship development.
One of the most suitable illustrations of free trade is the company of organic products Urtekram. Being founded in Denmark in 1972, it became one of the first eco-businesses and remains a widely-known organization until nowadays (Films Media Group, 2002). The production at Urtekram is completely sustainable: “when raw materials arrive at the plant, they are processed on a custom build production line that guarantees organic integrity all the way from the farm to table” (Films Media Group, 2002, 13:43). The energy used to empower machinery does not depend on fossil fuels. Instead, to launch the local power station, the producer uses the renewable energy resource – locally grown hay (Films Media Group, 2002). Therefore, Urtekram contributes to environmental sustainability and offers its customers high-quality eco-products that have a positive influence on people’s health.
The success of Urtekram lies behind the wise distribution of goods and the commitment of the workers. One of the company’s employees, Lars Borresen, claims that a crucial determinant of the firm’s success lies behind raising awareness among consumers (Films Media Group, 2002). He believes that in order to increase sales, the buyers should be educated about why organic products are better for them and how fair trade goods will improve their quality of life and the environmental condition. Moreover, the commitment of the firm’s employees to the green philosophy significantly contributes to Urtekram’s excellent performance (Films Media Group, 2002). If the workers are passionate about sustainable development, they are capable of spreading awareness among people and persuading them to follow the fair trade movement.
The example of the organic products firm Urtekram is incredibly helpful in investigating the fair trade concept. Firstly, by producing eco-goods, the company benefits both consumers and the environment. The buyers have an opportunity to purchase high-quality products that are not harmful to their health, while the planet does not suffer from the adverse ramifications of the production methods. Secondly, besides producing goods, Urtekram also educates people about the essential value of fair trade to the community. Informing the customers about the benefits of organic products, the Urtekram representatives increase the level of sustainable development awareness. Consequently, the Urtekram company is a bright example that proves the fair trade positive effect on the quality of life.
Overall, in the modern entrepreneurship environment, full of unethical business practices and immoral behavior, the concept of fair trade plays a critical role. The movement’s followers concentrate on reaching the highest quality of life by means of sustainable development. Thus, companies like Urtekram make a significant contribution to fair trade enhancement. Generally, the fair trade concept’s mix of ethics with business practices introduces a new way of making profits.
Reference
Films Media Group. (2002). Fair trade, fair profit: Making green enterprise work. Films On Demand. Web.