Environmental sustainability at the foundation of Fairtrade and our well-being

“Land is the heart of our existence. Environmental sustainability is not only the foundation for our Fairtrade contracts but for our general well-being”, states Terry Isagamo as he shows Maria-Jose Trogolo from the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand around the premises where his cooperative’s coffee is processed.
Terry is the Secretary of Highlands Organic Agriculture Cooperative (HOAC), which gathers coffee growers from Purosa in Papua New Guinea’s Eastern Highlands. He is proud to say that the organization received Fairtrade certification, among other reasons, due to their responsible methods of production.
For these marginalized producers, Fairtrade represents the link between their environment and their everyday lives, getting the necessary economic and social basis to support their society through subsistence agriculture.