At Fair Trade USA, DEI isn’t up for debate—it’s part of our DNA.
The roots of the fair trade movement are deeply embedded in the struggle for equity and inclusion. Our mission comes from a recognition that humanity’s diversity offers access to truths, perspectives, vision, and joy—and is essential to collectively reaching heights unattainable without it. When Edna Ruth Byler met women artisans in Puerto Rico in 1946 and saw the inequity of their living conditions, and the quality of their work, it hit home. Her simple choice to pay them a fair market rate and then sell their textiles to her friends and family in Pennsylvania has echoed across nearly a century. We stand on her shoulders, balanced by those values.
Fair Trade USA was born from a time and place of societal upheaval. Founded as a response to the struggles of coffee farmers in Nicaragua nearly 40 years after Ms. Byler’s work with artisans, our organization was built to support people and the planet, especially during times of uncertainty. Now as we embark on our 27th year, we find ourselves in a world that feels more uncertain than ever. As we navigate this shifting landscape, we will again rely on our values to provide balance and direction. Today, we’re more committed than ever to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion—and it’s not up for debate.
Over the past 20 years in the Fair Trade movement, I have seen firsthand how breaking down barriers, eliminating discrimination, and amplifying marginalized voices create more equitable outcomes for both people and the planet. Nature teaches us that resilience thrives in diversity, and we live this lesson as an organization—adapting, growing, and strengthening our commitment to inclusion and fairness. By honoring Indigenous knowledge, advancing women’s leadership, and ensuring workers are heard in farms and factories, we place inclusion at the heart of our mission. When all farmers, workers, and fishers are recognized as protagonists of change, the entire system grows stronger, more resilient, and more just. — Felipe Arango, Interim CEO
These values are at the core of our standards. Fair trade has long mandated equitable participation for people who are most often denied access to decision making and whose agency is systemically restricted. Our standards include requirements such as proportionate representation of women and other commonly marginalized people in Fair Trade Committees, social engagement teams, representatives at general assemblies and more. Diverse leadership emerges in those spaces and creates more impact for entire communities.
“Serving as the DEI working group co-leader for over two years was one of the most valuable experiences of my career. My role in Digital Tech does not naturally overlap with many of the staff in the organization, but through the DEI working group, I had regular conversations with my colleagues at all levels, whether they were in their first job out of college or leading from the C-suite. The skillset I gained through this DEI work will be relevant to any role I have in the future. Everyone at Fair Trade USA is here because we believe in creating a more just and equitable dynamic for the people who grow our food and produce our goods. It’s no surprise that these same folks instinctively care just as much about building an inclusive culture for our diverse workforce, and the relationships I’ve built here with some of the most intelligent and empathetic people I’ve ever met are what keeps me excited and engaged at work each day.” — Milla Nizar, Technical Lead
We monitor our program to track a range of key indicators to gauge that impact. Data on areas like school attendance by gender help us quantify the ripple effects of the Fair Trade program. We consistently see the impact of our requirements reach beyond the workforce and into homes and communities—improving lives while centering equity.
“When I think about our program, I see how embedded DEI is into our DNA. Fair Trade is about including the most vulnerable people in supply chains and giving them a voice. We require that ALL workers, including women and minorities, be represented on Fair Trade Committees, to ensure that their voices are included in decisions around how to spend Community Development Funds to improve their lives and the lives of those in their communities. We see our program encouraging beneficiaries to think about the needs of the most vulnerable people in their communities. Our program requires that premium be spent on the most pressing needs of the most vulnerable—this is inherently DEI. Our DEI efforts aren’t just an add-on, they are embedded in the work we do every day.” — Jenifer Jackson, Director of the Strategic Coordination Unit
“In my almost 16 years at Fair Trade USA, I have seen the organization weather many transitions, geopolitical upheaval, environmental disasters, moments of celebration, tragedy, and everything in-between. But one thing has remained constant—an unwavering commitment to equity and impact. For us, justice isn’t a means to an end, it is our intended end. And there can be no justice without an embrace of diversity, equity, and inclusion.” — Billy Linstead Goldsmith, Senior Director of Communications & Fair Trade Campaigns
Our movement is diverse by nature. It seeks equity and inclusion, and when that creates healthy tension and challenges, we embrace those as opportunities to do better. As we move into our 27th year at Fair Trade USA, we welcome those challenges more than ever before—because challenge is what strengthens our movement and creates space to evolve. When we show up together with authenticity and equitably include the diverse voices of our community, we succeed where we would have otherwise failed.
“After more than twenty years in the Fair Trade system and almost nine years of working as a consultant in the Producer Service team, I dare to say that Fair Trade USA is an organization that is consistent, unwavering, and always faithful to its principles and values, both internally and externally. Participation, democracy, justice, transparency, diversity, equity and inclusion are fundamental concepts that govern our organization internally and externally. We believe in, apply, and live by these principles, as they are a constant motivation in our theory of change. We believe in the creation and participation of equal opportunities for all, regardless of their origin, race, beliefs, conditions, or life orientations, because to not believe in this would mean supporting the creation of an unequal world. We are and will be consistent with our values and this is what we work on every day. To do anything other would denaturalize our purpose.” — Eduardo Delgado R., Senior Manager of Producer Services
To our team, the farmers, workers, and fishers that we partner with around the world, to our business partners, funders, and supporters: know that Fair Trade USA is and will remain committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is the only way we will continue to evolve to meet this moment and all moments to come to create lasting impact in our changing world. Because, as Lila Watson told us via the voices of Aboriginal activists in Queensland, Australia, “If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”
For specifics on how we center diversity, equity, and inclusion in our work, visit our Equity Statement.