<P> The current fair trade movement was shaped in Europe in the 1960s . Fair trade during that period was often seen as a political gesture against neo-imperialism: radical student movements began targeting multinational corporations and concerns that traditional business models were fundamentally flawed started to emerge . The slogan at the time, "Trade not Aid", gained international recognition in 1968 when it was adopted by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to put the emphasis on the establishment of fair trade relations with the developing world . </P> <P> The year 1965 saw the creation of the first Alternative Trading Organization (ATO): that year, British NGO Oxfam launched "Helping - by - Selling", a program which sold imported handicrafts in Oxfam stores in the UK and from mail - order catalogues . </P> <P> By 1968, the oversized newsprint publication, the Whole Earth Catalog, was connecting thousands of specialized merchants, artisans, and scientists directly with consumers who were interested in supporting independent producers, with the goal of bypassing corporate retail and department stores . The Whole Earth Catalog sought to balance the international free market by allowing direct purchasing of goods produced primarily in USA and Canada, but also in Central and South America . </P> <P> In 1969, the first worldshop opened its doors in the Netherlands . The initiative aimed at bringing the principles of fair trade to the retail sector by selling almost exclusively goods produced under fair trade terms in "underdeveloped regions". The first shop was run by volunteers and was so successful that dozens of similar shops soon went into business in the Benelux countries, Germany, and other Western European countries . </P>

Where do fair trade products come from countries