Have you ever thought why you pay so much for a cup of coffee when producers eke out a living struggling against an hard earth and a merciless sun?
And wouldn’t it be nicer to pay less? And maybe at the same time guarantee a better life to those toiling in the coffee plantations?
Yes, it would be. This is what inspired Fair Trade.
A dream that has become a reality. Today you can walk into a store and buy Fair Trade products. Just like you could walk into a few stores in London in the 17thcentury and buy sugar that was advertised as “made by Free Men.” That was at a time when one out of every four ships that sailed out of Liverpool harbor was a slave ship, and most of those slaves died producing sugar. Of course the sugar that they produced was much cheaper than that produced by free men. Just like free trade coffee is cheaper today.
Fair Trade in its basic definition is “a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers – especially in the South. Fair Trade Organizations, backed by consumers, are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade”. (FINE 2001)Or is it really like that? Does it really work in such a nice way? Is it the rapacious corporation against the poor farmer?
That was what made me embark on my research.
How is Fair Trade done? Which kind of organizations? Which kind of certifications? These are the questions to which I seek answers.
My work ranges from a theoretical study of Fair Trade as a global phenomenon to applied research that aims to evaluate the impact and the strategic dynamics of several organizations working in Fair Trade.
Combining social aims with effective marketing is incredibly attractive to many enterprises today. The Fair Trade market is dynamic. Success or failure can be sudden for the companies that decide to invest in fair trade. Today, the amazing world of alternative consumption opens many ways to change the way we live Climate change, social inequalities, lack of resources are all problems that anyone could, through conscious consumption choices, have an impact—maybe be a small impact—but an impact nevertheless on.
Consumption habits are shaped by culture and influenced by the continuous flow of information – mostly market oriented – that create an endless cycle of desire and fulfillment and yet greater desire. However, the interactions of social movements, civil society, political and economic power are changing the way we look at things.
Fair Trade is at a critical juncture in all these aspects and, looking at the way it is evolving, we might catch a glimpse of what generations to come will face.
Beyond this definition a huge universe is moving.
Discovering this universe is my daily activity.
