Cadena Textil Justa y Solidaria

As a fair trade organization, Otro Mercado's primary goal is to coordinate small scale Argentinian micro-enterprises that promote fair trade practices, teach these enterprises how to run their businesses more efficiently, and help them sell their product on the global market at competitive prices. Right now, the strongest of these projects is the Cadena Textil Justa y Solidaria, or fairness and solidarity textile chain, which produces a line of classic T-shirts, currently selling in Argentina and Italy. We hope this chain and others will help prove that fair trade producers can manufacture large volumes of competitive products, like T-shirts, and erase the stereotypical notion that fair trade producers can only make things like artisanal crafts and organic granola.

The interesting thing about Cadena Textil is that every step of production is run by fair trade micro-enterprises, beginning with cotton farms in rural northern Argentina, and three steps later resulting in ironed, packaged T-shirts ready to wear on two continents. Essentially, every part of the manufacturing process is a result of fair trade commerce, it's really a win-win situation--producers get the payment they deserve for hard, honest work and you get a high quality T-shirt at a low price.

Production begins in the rural northern Argentinian province of Chaco. Here, a group of indigenous families has formed Union Campesina, a facility that produces large volumes of raw cotton, the primary material of our T's.

Next, the cotton is shipped south, to Cooperativa Textiles Pigue in the province of Buenos Aires, where it is woven into fabric, dyed one of eight colors, and cut to fit size. Interestingly enough, Cooperativa Textiles Pigue is a factory that was acquired, and is now managed, by its workers in a take-over during the recent Argentine economic crisis.

After the appropriate steps are taken in at Pigue, the material is shipped to La Matanza, just outside the city of Buenos Aires, where they are tailored and altered at Cooperativa La Juanita, which also hosts a community center and kindergarten for the local community, and then ironed, packaged, and made ready to wear in Cooperativa Purpore, also in La Matanza.

Each link, if not part of the chain, would not be able to produce to the effect it does today. As a part of this textile chain, organizations are able to share problems and experiences, and have been able to realize the possibility of arranging their production into a common project. Today, the finished product of Cadena Textil Justo y Solidaria is experiencing excellent sales both in and around the La Plata area, as well in the chain of stores run by CTM Altromercato, a fair trade consortium in Italy. In the near future, we hope to expand sales to additional stores in Europe and North America.

The project is also supported by CTM Altromercato in Italy and Altromercato Argentina for the integration of production into the local and international fair trade circuit.

North Meets South

Since the conception of the idea of fair trade, there has been a pretty distinctive pattern of trade between the Northern and Southern hemispheres (or rather between the developing world and developed world). Fair trade goods would be produced in Latin America (the Southern Hemisphere) , and in turn exported to the developed countries of North America and Europe (the Northern Hemisphere) where they were sold. One of the goals of Otro Mercado is to promote fair trade goods among Argentinian and Latin American consumers, while at the same time sustaining demand for them in the North.

Through our fair trade store, Tienda Otro Mercado we strive towards this goal, mainly by providing a local marketplace where consumers can locally buy high quality, fair trade products at a reasonable price.

At the moment, our focus is selling clothing and footwear, mainly a line of classic T-shirts produced from a vertically integrated production chain coordinated by the organization. In addition to these T's, or remeras, we offer a line of fashionable men's and women's clothing, together with had crafted accessories including buttons, thread, and much more.
In addition to our textile line we have a variety of traditional Argentine eats and alimentaries, including preserves, Yerba Mate, cookies, and cereals. This section remains one of our most important selling points, as producers of agricultural products like these remain among the most exploited in the developing world.

If you find yourself in or around La Plata, be sure to visit our store, it's normally open Monday through Friday between 10 am and 7 pm. During the holidays and in the summertime, the store operates on extended hours. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call us at (054-0221) 422-8559 or send an e-mail to otromercado@netverk.com.ar.

A Bit About Our Organization

Welcome to the English-language home of Otro Mercado al Sur, a fair trade organization based in La Plata, Argentina. Since this is our first post, we'll begin by explaining a bit about our organization, and its role locally, nationally, and internationally.

The idea of Otro Mercado al Sur was initiated by a group of volunteers from several different countries, all with the same goal: the development and promotion of economic solidarity, fair trade, and responsible consumption in Argentina and Latin America.

Our mission is to contribute to the construction of an economic system that is fair and responsible, actively helping to alleviate some of the problems caused by current socio-economic models, which include: economic and social inequity, environmental destruction, cultural impoverishment, and imbalances in international trade relations.

In and around La Plata, we help spread the word about consuming products that are socially and environmentally sustainable by hosting workshops in the community, giving talks in local schools and community centers, and selling products in our local fair trade store Tienda Otro Mercado.

We hope to have sparked your interest in fair trade here in Argentina and will follow with much more posts about who we are, what we do, and how you can help out in the cause!