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Stroll around your nearest branch of Tescos, and you are looking at the miracle of globalisation. You can purchase almost any item at super-low costs. It might be rice from Vietnam or cornflower oil from Columbia - it’s procurable throughout the year. There’s never been a better period of time in human history to be a shopper! This has happened from intricate stock control and logistics, economies of scale, strong market competition, and possibly most importantly, the fact that most produced goods are sourced, and often produced, in second and third world nations.

The final point is rather crucial, and very contentious. While western shoppers are enjoying clothing, food, drink and other items produced from the poorest countries at rock-bottom prices, workers and businesses in these producing countries are oftentimes ripped off in the process, and haven’t any true sustainability since they’re at the end of a very lengthy string of middle-men who control what they make, how much, and how often. This long line of middle-men all receive their share too - in the end there’s not much money left for the actual manufacturer.

However, there’s assistance for these impoverished individuals and companies. Fairtrade is a cause that seeks to give some power to such end-producing commercial enterprises in the poorer countries of the planet. It attempts to banish the middle men, and pay the end-producer a decent price for a product in a far more targeted way. You may have encountered Fairtrade items in your nearby super market. You’ll sometimes find they’re a bit more dear, but by purchasing such ethical products - for instance fair trade gifts - you will know the manufacturer is operating in a sustainable business environment that not only pays them justly through a much more direct revenue flow, but it also grants them to put this extra money into their company through greater profits, which actually makes a difference to these poorer parts of the planet.