At Camino, fair trade is more than just a seal on a product and a minimum guaranteed price for farmers. It’s our way to participate in a viable and sustainable social solidarity economy that leaves no one behind.
It is well-known and documented that the cocoa and sugar supply chains are confronted with several critical issues, including forced labour, child slavery and deforestation. These issues are deeply intertwined and garner significant attention from governments, NGOs, and the public.
We’ve been at the forefront of the fair trade movement in Canada since 1999.
Our commitment to fair trade and organic is unwavering. To tackle the major issues small-scale farmers are facing in some of the most complex supply chains like cocoa and sugar, we source all our ingredients exclusively from democratically organized producer co-operatives and or associations certified under Fairtrade standards.
Fair trade is at the heart of our mission and how we work with small-scale farmers in the Global South.
We believe that the Fair Trade Principles and The Fairtrade System provide the foundation and framework to build greater equity and solidarity in our food chains. We use Fairtrade certification and the fair trade principles to guide our democratic business model.
Fair Trade Principles:
Principle One: Creating Opportunities for Economically Marginalized Producers
Principle Two: Transparency and Accountability
Principle Three: Fair Trading Practices
Principle Four: Fair Payment
Principle Five: Ensuring no Child Labour and Forced Labour
Principle Six: Commitment to Non-Discrimination, Gender Equity and Women’s Economic Empowerment, and Freedom of Association
Principle Seven: Ensuring Good Working Conditions
Principle Eight: Providing Capacity Building
Principle Nine: Promoting Fair Trade
Principle Ten: Climate Action and Protection of the Environment
Did you know?
These are some of the main issues in the cocoa and sugar supply chains:
- Forced labour and child slavery are pervasive issues in the cocoa and sugar supply chains, particularly in regions where these crops are grown. Workers, including children, are often subjected to harsh working conditions, low wages, and physical abuse.
- Need of fair wages and labour rights. Many workers in cocoa and sugar supply chains are not paid fair wages and lack job security and basic labour rights. This perpetuates poverty and exploitation.
- Deforestation is a significant problem in both cocoa and sugar supply chains as forests are often cleared to make way for new plantations. This leads to habitat destruction, loss of biodiversity and contributes to climate change.
- A lack of transparency and accountability in supply chains makes it difficult to trace the origins of cocoa and sugar products, which can perpetuate these issues mentioned above.
- Climate change is affecting cocoa and sugar farming regions by altering weather patterns, making harvest times less predictable, and increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events like droughts, floods, hurricanes, frosts, and heatwaves. Climate change exacerbates existing challenges faced by cocoa and sugar farmers, making it even more crucial to adopt sustainable agricultural practices, invest in climate-resilient crop varieties, and support farmers in adapting to these changing conditions. Additionally, global efforts to mitigate climate change are essential to limit its impact on agriculture and vulnerable communities.
Addressing these issues require concerted efforts from governments, the private sector, and civil society organizations to enforce labour rights, promote sustainable practices, and ensure supply chain transparency. Citizen consumers like you play a crucial role in driving change within these industries by raising awareness and increasing demand for ethically sourced cocoa and sugar products. We need you!