A seven-year-old girl sits on the floor in the scorching heat of a factory in Indonesia, making the Adidas shoes you are wearing right now. Her hands begin to shake in fear that if she takes a break, she will be beaten. She was taken out of school to work for 12 hours a day doing meticulous repetitive work, making only a few cents per hour.

She’s hardly the only one.

Many of the brands you love are actually exploiting their workers. In the United States, we have specific labor laws so employees are treated and paid fairly. However, companies have found that they can make more profits by producing their goods in different countries without the labor laws that we have and then sell them for a major profit in the U.S.

That’s why products from popular brands that exploit their workers are cheaper, because they don’t cost nearly as much to produce. However, fair trade items are the better option.

If something is fair trade certified, it means that the workers who made the product are paid fairly. That’s the reason fair trade items are usually more expensive. A lot of fair trade companies are focused on empowering their employees and aiming their profits to go toward good causes, like stopping human trafficking.

It’s important to shop fair trade whenever you can, because every time you buy products from a company that isn’t fair trade, you are supporting slavery. Now, I understand that not everyone has the opportunity to buy fair trade products because it can be expensive. However, if you get the chance, you should.