Supporting each other through the COVID-19 Crisis

Around the world, business is adapting to minimize the spread of COVID-19. At Fairtrade America, we’re doing our part by working virtually. Our work is ongoing and we’re committed to assisting the producers that are at the heart of our system.

We are all connected, not just in our towns and cities but also across the world. Just as new viruses like COVID-19 crisscross the globe, so do supply chains. People are rightly concerned that the most vulnerable, those already living paycheck to paycheck, will be the first and hardest hit by this period of social isolation and economic slowdown. Small business owners and their employees, gig economy workers, and others with precarious employment are living on tight margins already. Small-scale farmers and agricultural workers in the global south struggle every year to earn enough to support their families.

In spite of what is a new reality for all of us, it is so encouraging to see how communities are coming together for mutual protection and support. We’ve been receiving updates from our partners and producer networks around the world, which underscores how this is truly an opportunity for us, as a society, to come together to support each other through this crisis.

If you have any questions for us – about your existing Fairtrade certification, adding product lines, or otherwise– feel free to reach out. We’re available at questions@fairtradeamerica.org or 202.391.0525.