How Can I Get Involved with Fairtrade America?

You can get involved with Fairtrade America in four practical ways: join a campaign such as Fairtrade Month, support advocacy efforts that ask retailers to carry Fairtrade products, read and share farmer stories, and choose Fairtrade Mark products in your everyday shopping. The right starting point depends on how much time you want to give—buying Fairtrade products takes no extra effort, while campaigns and advocacy ask for a small, specific action.

Join a Fairtrade America Campaign

Fairtrade America runs public campaigns that anyone can join. The current example on its site is Fairtrade Month, which the organization promotes with a direct call to action: join the campaign and ask Walmart to carry Fairtrade bananas.

What joining looks like

• Fairtrade Month: A seasonal push to raise awareness. The site frames it as an open invitation ("Join us") rather than a members-only program.
• The Walmart banana ask: A specific retailer petition. You add your voice to the request that Walmart stock Fairtrade bananas.
• "Join the Real Deal": The site's framing for participating in the movement, used alongside the Fairtrade Month message.

These are low-commitment actions—typically signing on to a campaign or sharing it—rather than ongoing volunteer roles.

Support Advocacy That Pushes Retailers

The Walmart banana campaign is the clearest advocacy example on the site, and it shows the general pattern: Fairtrade America identifies a retailer or product gap and asks supporters to apply consumer pressure.

If you want to go beyond a single petition, the same logic applies to other products. The site notes that Fairtrade Mark products span categories including cocoa, sugar, bananas, cinnamon, and coffee, so advocacy can target whichever retailer or category matters to you.

Read and Share Farmer Stories

Fairtrade America publishes first-hand accounts from farmers and workers in the system. These are useful if you want to understand what the Fairtrade premium and pricing model actually change on the ground before you commit time or money.

One example from the site is Affoué Angèle Kouassi, who has farmed cocoa on her own land for 14 years. In her words:

"Fairtrade has changed my life. Indeed, in a crisis situation, I have an inflow of money for my needs instead of going into debt. And Fairtrade has made me a woman leader."

The site also features a blog on the cooperative model at work in Madagascar, written by Frontier Co-op's Alicia Simmons, and a piece on why "greenshouting" matters for business growth. Reading and sharing these stories is a way to participate without spending money—it spreads the specific outcomes Fairtrade points to rather than general claims.

Buy Fairtrade Mark Products

This is the involvement route that requires no sign-up. Fairtrade America's position is that where you spend money has a direct effect: purchases can drive sustainable growth, support communities, and protect resources.

What the scale looks like

The product range the site names includes cocoa, sugar, bananas, cinnamon, and coffee—so the everyday entry points are groceries and your morning coffee rather than specialty items.

How to Choose Your Level of Involvement

A reasonable sequence: start by buying Fairtrade Mark products in categories you already purchase, read one or two farmer stories to see what the premium supports, then join the current campaign if you want to push for broader retail availability.

What Fairtrade America Says It Stands For

Knowing the organization's stated position helps you decide whether to get involved. Fairtrade America describes the global trade system as exploiting farmers and presents Fairtrade as a step in the right direction—supporting sustainable lives for farmers and their families.

It also states that human rights and environmental rights cannot be separated, and that child protection, living incomes, and gender equity are linked to workers' rights. Its approach centers on a pricing model, but the site is explicit that it "doesn't start there"—it also points to environmental initiatives, regenerative processes, and community development.

If those priorities match yours, the four routes above are the concrete ways to act on them.