THE demand for bags made from recycled materials abroad is growing.

Geraldine Labradores, executive director of the Southern Partner and Fair Trade Corp. (SPFTC), said SPFTC is negotiating with three buyers from Asia, Japan and the United States.

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She told a forum on fair trade at St. Theresa’s College last Monday that the three buyers will have a combined order of at least 10,000 recycled bags.

If the SPFTC gets the contracts, it will pool 335 trained sewers and weavers from nine partner-communities in Du-manjug, Carcar, Talisay and Cebu City (in Barangays Calamba and Bacayan) to make the bags and complete the order within a month and a half.

“By ensuring a systematic process in accomplishing this big volume, we are optimistic that we can complete this and contribute to the welfare of our producers,” Labradores said.

SPFTC is a processing and trading facility of people and non-government organizations in Central Visayas. Advocating for fair trade, it serves as a direct link between producers and consumers.

Due to the global financial crisis that affected some local sectors, the group is also eyeing the Asian and domestic markets for its fair trade products.

Labradores admitted that demand from US and European markets for the handicraft products of some SPFTC members has declined by more than 50 percent as the crisis deepened.

Fair trade is a global movement that started in the 1940s. It aims to give just value and market access to the products of small-time producers. Fair trade products are made in environmentally-, economically- and socially-responsible conditions.

Labradores said SPFTC is working with companies in Singapore for the possible display of fair trade products in supermarkets, hypermarkets and grocery stores there.

She called on governments and development organizations to help the group in providing capability training programs, capital and technology to producers.