All's Fair

Satisfy your social conscience and generous heart with an array of fair trade goodies. By buying certified fair trade gifts this holiday season, you are not only guaranteed a beautiful, one-of-a-kind gift, but you also ensure that its creators have been rewarded for their time and effort with a decent wage and safe working conditions.

"With so many ethical labels and corporate social responsibility claims in the market today, a third-party guarantee has never been more essential for consumer confidence," says Nicole Chettero of TransFair USA. "Consumers want to purchase sustainable products, but they want to be sure that their investment is having a real impact where it's needed most," she adds.

TransFair USA is the only independent, third-party certifier for fair-trade goods in the U.S. The group's certification ensures that individual agricultural commodities (such as coffee, sugar and fruit) were purchased at above-market rates from farmers who have eliminated agrochemicals and pay workers fairly. However, TransFair doesn't monitor handicrafts, and currently the best way to ensure that crafts are made under fair trade standards is the industry-supported Fair Trade Federation (FTF) endorsement. Companies apply for membership to FTF and are accepted based upon their commitment to, among other things, paying at least the local minimum wage and protecting natural resources. Members must reapply annually and provide documentation about material sourcing and labor policies.

Whether FTF member or TransFair-certified, all fairly traded goods aid developing communities:

FTF Members: Tagua Ivory carved tagua nut dominoes support Ecuadorian artisans ($60; www.taguaivory.com, 305-852-4676); A Greater Gift gorara stone solitaire peg games benefit artisanal cooperatives and family-run workshops ($16; www.agreatergift.org, 800-422-5915); also look at A World Away's intriguingly beautiful Indonesian batiked Dakon game ($34) and Balinese dragon kite ($54; www.aworldaway.net, 904-247-4411); the carved soapstone chess set from Ten Thousand Villages helps business and community development projects in Delhi ($70; www.tenthousandvillages.com, 717-859-8100); proceeds from World of Good's Righteous Raffia tote bag supply income for rice field workers in Madagascar during heavy flood seasons ($24.95; www.worldofgood.com, 510-528-8400); elephant grass nesting shopping totes ($56/2) and Ethiopian beach wrap sarongs made in Addis Ababa ($48) help One World Projects reduce poverty among artisans (www.oneworldprojects.com, 585-343-4490); Nets of Promise scarves from Mercado Global help fund scholarship programs in Chuchacruz, Guatemala ($25; www.mercadoglobal.org, 203-772-4292).

TransFair Certified: Create your own gift basket using a handmade woven raffia striped basket from FTF-member Fair World Gallery ($40; www.fairworldgallery.com, 888-877-FAIR), including certified Mother Earth Coffee ($10.99/lb.; www.motherearthcoffeeco.com, 913-722-5711); Surf City Coffee Company organic holiday blend coffee beans ($11.99/lb.; www.surfcitycoffee.com, 888-773-3833); organic hand-ground masala tea from Fair Trade Teas ($24/lb.; www.fairtradeteas.com, 907-495-0212); and organic chocolate peppermint or peanut butter crunch bars from Sweet Earth Chocolates ($2.15/3 oz.; www.sweetearthchocolates.com, 805-544-7759).