About Us

Equação strongly invests in the development of national and international learning projects for the development, along with partners who identify themselves with our values and practices.

Equação, Cooperativa de Comércio Justo, Crl is the first Portuguese Fair Trade product importer and distributer and it was founded in 2007 by several non-profit base organizations, who promote this movement. Currently Equação focus has been, not only the sale/distribution of fair-trade products in Portugal, but also informing and educating consumers, privileging the younger ones, through actions to raise awareness, especially in schools, and the participation of national and international volunteering projects and the cooperation for development. More now than never, Equação actions go through the practice of values it believes and stands for, and so, it actively supports its co-operators in the management of catering spaces and the bar/street café, decisively bringing together the consumers to the values we stand for: environmental friendly practices, respect towards people, etc...

Background

This movement is a powerful cooperation development tool as it uses the market and trade as a work tool to fight poverty, the exploitation of people and resources. As the old Chinese proverb says: “If you want to kill someone’s hunger, give them a fish. But, if you want them to never go hungry again, teach them how to fish”. And, of course, it emerges as a determining factor in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that, we should keep in mind that among other things it is intended to eradicate extreme poverty by 2025. Quoting one of the most important economists in the world, Jeffrey Sachs (author of the book The End of Poverty) “world where some live in comfort and abundance, while half the human race subsists on less than two dollars a day, it is neither fair nor stable”. This author points out several steps to be taken to end poverty and to reduce inequalities, especially economic ones, between the northern world, rich and consumerist, and the southern world, poor and producer. Among them are (we only mention a few that we consider the most relevant to this dossier):


– The empowerment of the United Nations (and the specialized agencies it relies on – UNICEF, FAO, WHO, etc.);
– The achievement of global science’s potential (keeping in mind that the public funding, the private philanthropies, and the non-profit foundations will have to help keeping the commitment of approaching the challenges that weren’t overcome by the poorer people, precisely because the market forces will not be enough by themselves – science tends to follow the market forces, such as leading them, making the rich even richer in an endogenous growth cycle);
– Promoting a sustainable development and;
– Taking accountability of a personal commitment, because in the end, the solution comes from us, while individuals.

Today Robert Kennedy’s words are more powerful than ever (in his Day of Affirmation Address speech, 6/6/66) “First is the danger of futility; the belief there is nothing one man or one woman can do against the enormous array of the world’s ills – against misery, against ignorance, or injustice and violence…. Few will have the greatness to bend history; but each of us can work to change a small portion of the events, and in the total of all these acts will be written the history of this generation… It is from numberless diverse acts of courage such as these that the belief that human history is thus shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

Fair Trade Principles

World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) prescribes 10 essential principles that Fair Trade Organizations must follow in their day-to-day work

Create opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers

Transparency and responsibility in the exchange of information and decision-making

Fair, stable and lasting commercial practices, with respect for the social, environmental and economic well-being of small producers

Fair payment for the work of producers, without gender inequalities

Ensuring no Child Labor and Forced Labor

Commitment to Non Discrimination, Gender Equity and Women’s Economic Empowerment and Freedom of Association

Ensure good, healthy and safe working conditions

Encouraging the training of producers and the development of their skills

Promoting Fair Trade with costumers

Respect for the environment: Use of raw materials from sources exploited in a sustainable way...

Partners

Our partners

We have nacional and international partnerships for fair trade products. See more information about some of them here.

IDEAS is a Fair Trade organization which objective is to transform the social and economic environment to build a fairer and more sustainable world, developing Fair Trade, Solidarity Economy and Responsible Consumption initiatives, both locally and internationally. It’s a non-profit co-operative,
recognized as of Social Interest due to its solidarity activity and is registered as an NGO on AECID (Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation) and registered in Registro de Agentes de Cooperação para o Desenvolvimento da Andaluzia (RACDA). IDEAS is a member of WFTO (World Fair Trade Organization); founding member of CECJ (Coordenador Estadual de Comércio Justo); founding member of REAS (Rede de Redes de Economia Alternativa e Solidária), Fiare Sur (Ethical Bank Association) and member entity of Federação Andaluz de Cooperativas (FAECTA) and coordinator of Coletivos Sociais de Solidariedade de Córdoba.

Escola Profissional de Agricultura e Desenvolvimento Rural de Marco de Canaveses (EPAMAC) was created in 19 December 1989. Over 30 years, EPAMAC has always paid attention to the socioeconomic changes of its surroundings, so it was growing and increasing its training offer. Not only it has a quality training, but also, the school offers food,
accommodation and transport to young people who attend it. EPAMAC is inserted in a farm with 85ha, situated in the municipality of Marco de Canaveses and administrates three level IV (high school) vocational courses:
– Animal Agriculture Production Technician;
– Rural and Environmental Tourism Technician;
– Equine Management Technician.
and an Education Training Degree (Level III- basic):
– Gardening Operator. 

Fundacja Rozwoju Społeczeństwa Przedsiębiorczego (FRSP) was founded by a group of experts, carrying out activities related to the labor market. FRSP promotes the development and knowledge about entrepreneurship and the labor market, increase of employment, as well as enhancing the capacity of the NGO’s sector, mainly in Silesia region and Poland. FRSP mission is to support the development of entrepreneurial entrepreneurship, new working places creation and action to full employment.
FRSP main activities:
– Obtaining grants for start a business, development of economic activities, equipment or retrofit of workplace,
reimbursement of insurance premiums for employees and part of the employee’s wages, environmental investments;
– Free legal advice;
– Counselling for the unemployed, promoting employment and labour market development;
– Project writing for NGOs. Target groups to whom FRSP directs their actions:
– Unemployed and economically inactive (high priority);
– Persons at risk of losing their jobs;
– Working people (start a business but enable to support commercial advices);
– Graduates entering the labour market;
– People with no work experience;
– Persons conducting self-employment and micro-entrepreneurs;
– NGOs.

Delegação Local de Amarante da Associação Portuguesa de Deficientes (Portugal Disabled Association’s Local Committee of Amarante) works as an organization for disabled people, constituted and administrated by disabled people. While as a human rights organization, its objective is the promotion of general, individual and collective interests of disabled people in Amarante. Based on the principle that disabled people are the experts on the topic of disability, who know better than everyone else the problems they face and the solutions for them to overcome, the APD doesn’t limit all its action in the reporting of discrimination situations that these citizens face. The APD intends to unite all disabled people, regardless of the disabilities, causes and origins.

Members

Equação has the following governing entities (mandate 2019-2023)

Collective Members

Associação Alternativa ​

The Alternativa association is a local non-profit association created in 2003 based in Barcelos and since 2006 its public utility as a Non-Governmental Development Organization (NGDO) gained recognition.

Aventura Marão Clube

Aventura Marão Clube (AMC) is a local non-profit association created in 1993 based in Amarante.

Mikachu, Lda

Mikachu, Restauração Unipessoal, Lda (Mikachu, Lda) is a company created in 2014 based in Guimarães.

Individual Members

Jorge Miguel Ribeiro Pereira Pinto

Alfredo Manuel Branco de Carvalho

Carlos Guilherme Oliveira da Costa

Maria de Lurdes de Antas de Barros Caldeira Barroso

Diogo Manuel dos Santos Vaz

Marcella Serra

Structure

Direction

Jorge Miguel Ribeiro Pereira Pinto​

President

Alfredo Manuel Branco de Carvalho

Treasurer

Marcella
Serra​​

Secretary

General Assembly's boards

Carlos Guilherme Oliveira da Costa​

President

General Assembly's boards

Diogo Manuel dos Santos
Vaz

Vice-President

Fiscal Council

Maria de Lurdes de Antas de Barros Caldeira Barroso​

President

Fair Trade Presentations
+
Projects
Cooperators

Casa da Juventude de Amarante festeja 10.º aniversário durante uma semana

Artigo em A Verdade

Primeira loja de Comércio Justo abriu há dez anos em Portugal

Author: Lusa/AO Online

Scroll to Top