Buyer be Fair

BUYER BE FAIR looks at two major trade goods-timber and coffee-to understand how certification works and whether it works. We take viewers to isolated Indian villages in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, where some of the answers emerge. In Santa Catarina Ixtepeji, a community's timber is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as produced in a just and sustainable manner. In the villages that are members of Cooperativa La Trinidad, Fair Trade, Shade-Grown, Organic coffee is produced and finds a growing market in the US. We see how these communities are benefiting from certification and what the obstacles are to broadening its scope.