World Fair Trade Day – May. 10, 2026

Expected World Fair Trade Day Deals

On World Fair Trade Day, the focus shifts from traditional sales to ethical consumption and fundraising. Look for special promotions from brands committed to fair trade principles, often in partnership with organizations like Fair Trade USA or the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO). Many retailers, such as Ten Thousand Villages and Equal Exchange, will offer discounts on certified products, emphasizing the stories behind the goods and the lives they impact. Coffee shops like Starbucks and ice cream brands like Ben & Jerry’s, known for their fair trade ingredients, may highlight their sourcing practices or offer donation-matching programs. Online marketplaces like Etsy often feature artisans selling ethically produced crafts. We encourage consumers to visit the official websites of fair trade organizations to find participating brands and ways to contribute to a more equitable global economy.

History of World Fair Trade Day

In the 1940s, a woman named Edna Ruth Byler sold textiles from the trunk of her car. She was a wife, mother, and entrepreneur, and though she didn’t know it then, she would help start a movement. In 1946, Byler went to the La Plata Valley in Puerto Rico and met a woman who was going through hard times. She was struggling to feed her family after the Depression and Byler was inspired to do something. Byler noticed all of the fine embroideries the women in the area created and thought of expanding their business by selling their work to her friends and neighbors.

By the 1950s, she had started her small business. Using her car filled with needlework to women’s sewing circles and at parties all across the country. As she did this, she told the American people where these works of art came from and the workmanship of the women. In so doing, it gave the women of the La Plata Valley economic security and it gave Byler success in her own life.

What started out as a seemingly small act of kindness then became a movement as the business became Ten Thousand Villages. Around the world, people were starting to realize that workers needed to be taken care of. In 1964, the first Fair Trade Organization was created that had initiatives to help worker relations between Chinese Refugees in Oxfam shops that were selling crafts to the UK. Then, in 1967, the Fair Trade Original was established in the Netherlands with similar initiatives.

Formerly the International Federation of Alternative Traders, The World Fair Trade Organization was created in 1989. They would hold yearly conferences for groups working in fair rade to decide on the best practices pertaining to working conditions, and in 2004 they created World Fair Trade Day. The continuing goal is to fight against poverty and exploitation, climate change and the economic crisis to ensure that those who are most vulnerable in society are protected.

How Businesses Can Celebrate World Fair Trade Day