1.0 Principles

Our principles are fundamental to its work and policies and are summarised as follows:

• Our mission is fighting poverty through Fair Trade
• We respect all people and the environment
• We abide by and promote fair business practice
• We strive to be transparent and accountable
• Our policies will, wherever possible, be based on the WFTO Ten Principles of Fair Trade, and more specifically:
  • We work to build long-term sustainable businesses in communities that suffer social and economic disadvantage, helping them through the experience of trading and training to develop to a point where they can thrive in mainstream markets without the need for support.
  • We pay prices that enable producers to earn a fair return for their efforts. We give producers access to credit and advance payments where needed to enable orders to be fulfilled, and we make available additional premiums for community development. Except where necessary to meet customer requirements, we will use producer groups suffering from social and economic disadvantage.
  • We seek long term partnerships with our producer groups, giving them the confidence to invest and to grow. Our ultimate aim, however, is that our partners should become fully independent, allowing us to extend our work to new producer organisations.
  • We work to help communities reduce their vulnerabilities by diversifying their skills and products, developing local and regional as well as international markets, and implementing good environmental practices.

2.0 Purpose

These policies will be used to guide and direct the activities of Izara Arts staff in their work with producers and other stakeholders

3.0 General Standards

These standards apply to purchases of all goods and services and as a minimum:

3.1 Izara Arts will aim to purchase from suppliers who demonstrate openness, integrity, transparency and a commitment to quality

3.2 Products should be manufactured or services delivered in a manner which promotes sustainable production practices and ensures the protection of the natural environment.

4.0 Environmental Sustainability

Izara Arts will seek to work with, and purchase from, suppliers who demonstrate a proactive approach to the protection of the natural environment through the development, implementation and monitoring of appropriate systems and practices, and which may cover the following areas:

• Minimal and safe use of synthetic inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, dyes, cleaning substances, detergents etc and a gradual transition to more natural alternatives.
• Minimal use of energy from non renewable sources.
• Safe disposal of waste materials including reduction, reuse, recycling or composting as appropriate to the nature of that product and with due regard to issues of soil, water and air contamination.

5.0 Benefits to Producers

Recognising the developmental nature of fair trade, the target beneficiary producers should, as a result of both the fair trade transaction earn or receive something of substance which contributes to either (or combinations of):

• their material and economic welfare
• the improvement of their social circumstances, communities or working conditions
• their personal development through the provision of training and support either individually or collectively through the organisation to which they belong.

This is dependent on regional, cultural or product characteristics but should, for all fair trade transactions, be clearly identifiable.

6.0 Fair Price & Payment Terms

A fair price is one that is mutually acceptable to buyer and seller and which allows the possibility of defined benefits for the producer to be realised. This will cover cost of production and allow a reasonable surplus, whilst ensuring that labour components of the cost of production cover living wages and incomes of producers. A fair price also protects economically vulnerable producers against uncertainties, especially market price or currency fluctuations. It is not always linked to market price, nor is it always above the market price.

7.0 Worker protection and working conditions

In applying the WFTO Fair Trade Principles, Izara Arts will specifically verify the following in respect of each producer group:

• No underage workers (according to national legislation)
• No forced or bonded labour
• No discrimination in employment or benefits
• Equal pay for men and women for work of equal value
• The right of all employees to join any trade union or worker committee of their choice
• In the case of any children within a producer organisation who are learning production skills within their families, their work does not interfere with their education, health or development
• Producer groups do not use forced or bonded labour