Aux 4 Coins du Monde’s activity is based on the criteria defined by the French Fair Trade Platform (Plate-Forme pour le Commerce Équitable, PFCE). They are built around three main principles:
improving producers’ living and working conditions
a partnership founded on dialogue, transparency and respect, aiming for fairer trade relationships
the protection of fundamental human rights (food, housing, health, education) as well as consumer information
Drawing on decades of experience in Latin America, the association has gradually built its own trading channels, with no intermediary between partner producers and consumers.
Partner suppliers in Latin America
The association’s partners are highly diverse, both in their structures and in their know-how and the regions where they are based.
They include independent folk artisans and artists, family workshops, cooperatives and social reintegration workshops.
Their production draws on a wide range of materials and techniques: pottery and terracotta (Chulucanas, Ayacucho), wool (alpaca, llama, sheep), cotton for summer clothing, painted wood for furniture and chests, reverse glass painting for trays and mirrors, leather for bags and decorated objects, handcrafted jewellery (including Alvaro’s creations and jewellery set with natural stones), Panama hats from Cuenca in Ecuador, and traditional musical instruments such as flutes, sikus, tarkas or charangos.
These partners are based in several Latin American countries (Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Colombia, Chile), in poor urban areas (pueblos jóvenes) as well as in rural areas, in valleys or high-altitude regions.
How it works
A4CM’s commitment
Aux 4 Coins du Monde operates on a model built on trust and sustainability.
A 50% deposit is paid when the order is placed, allowing the workshops to buy raw materials and fund production. The balance is paid on delivery: every item produced is thus paid for in full, with the association bearing the commercial risk as well as transport and packaging costs.
Artisans are also involved in packaging their own products, which provides an additional paid activity. The whole system is part of a long-term partnership approach.
The artisans’ commitment
Partner artisans commit to several key points:
product quality, checked in the country of origin
creativity in materials, shapes and new designs
meeting orders (quantities and deadlines)
the gradual improvement of living and working conditions
Follow-up and exchanges
The workshops are visited at least once a year by the president of Aux 4 Coins du Monde, who is responsible for missions in Latin America. These visits are often accompanied by members of the association, who then share their experience at general meetings.
