A person working in a greenhouse growing spinach

Fair Labor Practices/ Fair Trade

Exploitation of workers is not just unethical, it is often associated with degradation of the environment. Fair labor practices are critical to any sustainability effort.  Fair Trade certified products must meet certain environmental and labor standards. Labor standards include no forced labor, fair wages/price for labor or products, and no child labor. Environmental standards include soil and water conservation, no use of toxic agrochemicals or GMOs, and encouraging adoption of organic farming practices and/or certification. Agricultural products such as coffee, tea, bananas, and cotton are often Fair Trade certified. 

Proposed procurement goals: 
  • Identify and flag Fair Trade certified eligible products in procurement processes.
  • Set goals for procurement of Fair Trade certified products. Fair Trade products may have one of the following certifications: Fair Trade USA, IMO Fair for Life, or Fairtrade International USA.
  • Adopt and implement model Fair Trade and other fair labor procurement policies, see examples below of model Fair Trade and sweatshop-free policies.
Case studies and resources:
  • Fair Trade USA: Fair Trade Towns Summary of Procurement Resources and Policy
  • Los Angeles, CA: Fair Trade Los Angeles Fair Trade City Policy and Resolution Language
  • Houston, TX: Fair Trade Town Designation and Policy Language
  • Responsible Purchasing Network’s Fair Trade Purchasing Guidelines for Cities and Towns includes model contract language, descriptions of fair trade certifications, etc.
  • Toronto, Ontario’s Purchase of Coffee, Tea and Sugar Policy directs divisions to buy fair trade-certified products for purchases greater than $3,000. RPN
  • Model Sweatshop Free Procurement Policy
  • California’s Transparency in Supply Chains Act
  • St. Louis, MO adopted a Sweatshop Free Procurement Policy that requires vendors to “complete a procurement disclosure form documenting the location of the factory where the items purchased by the City will be manufactured, the minimum base hourly wage of the employees employed by the factory, working hours of factory employees, benefits provided to factory employees and whether the factory is under investigation for any violation of State, Federal or local laws.” RPN
  • The Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium highlights sweatshop-free purchasing policies adopted by local governments including Austin, TX; Berkeley, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, CA; Ithaca, NY; Madison, WI; Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; and Santa Fe, NM. RPN
  • Portland, OR’s Sweatshop Free Procurement Policy requires apparel contractors that exceed the City’s formal contract dollar threshold to comply with the City's Code of Conduct for Apparel Contractors. Contractors that fall into this category, as well as their supply chain partners, must follow labor and health and safety standards that ensure workers are not subjected to sweatshop conditions. To demonstrate compliance, contractors must submit factory location information from suppliers providing apparel/uniform products to the City. RPN
  • Vancouver, British Columbia’s Ethical Purchasing Policy specifies that: “The Manager of Materials Management will be responsible for reviewing the EPP [Ethical Purchasing Policy] and SCC [Supplier Code of Conduct] annually and reporting findings to Council annually. Through consultations with key stakeholders (suppliers, subject experts, city staff, etc.) the Manager of Materials Management will identify and recommend revisions to the EPP and SCC. Such review will include a review of new items for potential inclusion within the scope of the EPP (e.g., new fair trade certified agricultural products).” RPN