The 2009 sales figures for Fairtrade products, the product labelling standards arm of Fair Trade, which the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations (FLO) presented on 26 May 2010, states a clear message. In one of the most difficult economic years on record, consumers spent an estimated €3.4 billion on Fairtrade products in 2009 – a 15% increase over the previous year.

Ten years after the first Fair Trade Town was established in Garstang, Lancashire on 24 April 2000, the concept that started as a grass-roots movement in the UK before reaching the continental Europe, is now reaching other regions of the world.

by Michael Sarcauga, Communications Officer World Fair Trade Organization

In India, domestic consumption is increasing due to the growth of the middle class. Following this trend, Fair Trade Forum India (FTFI) is launching a nationwide project called Pro Sustain to promote Fair Trade and sustainable consumption in the country to be aimed at the Indian middle class.