Shop for Change making inroads in India

Indian brands are taking the first step towards following

fair trade, a concept popular amongst western consumers. It preaches buying products from corporations that focus on sustainable development and offer better trading conditions for workers and producers. Shop for Change is a non-profit organization offering fair trade certification in India. It has already certified a range of T-shirts made by the Kishore Biyani-led Future. The organization is likely to bring on board at least 10 brands in India this year and diversify into new business segments like food and beverages for its certification services.

Fair trade requires both producers and corporates to follow a set of rules, which makes it mandatory for representative bodies of workers to be trained in modern techniques and calls for reducing production costs, abstaining from the use of harmful chemicals and ensuring good working conditions to ensure sustainable development. It will help in the growth of the organized retail market and in India with its huge unorganized sector even small retailers can avail of it. It would not be wrong to say that fair trade has a ready market in India

Hence, it’s a win-win for all stakeholders, including corporates, producers and consumers. While corporates get brand respectability, producers get their due return and the consumer has the satisfaction of buying a product which is ethically made and environment-friendly.