Fair trade is mostly associated with commodities like coffee, sugar and bananas, however, in 2004, the cotton industry joined in. The FAIRTRADE label appears on UK products as a guarantee that they have been certified against internationally agreed fair trade standards.

Fair trade means that producers must pay farmers the minimum market price for raw materials such as cotton, silk or wool. Fair trade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.

By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), fair trade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers.