The Processes and Practices of Fair Trade: Trust, Ethics and Governance

by Granville; Brigitte

• ISBN13: 9780415575669
• ISBN10: 0415575664
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-08-20
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Fairtrade has established itself as a distinct phenomenon within the realm of global consumerism. Fairtrade aims to protect small producers against price volatility and inadequate incomes as well as to provide community benefits (health care, education). It relies on consumer purchases of FT products carried out at agreed minimum prices. These purchases measure the trust accorded to the scheme which is founded on a system of certification comprising a series of recommended producer welfare-enhancing standards that FT products must satisfy. Consumers buy Fairtrade products because they trust that the condition of producers in poor countries benefit from these purchases. This book analyzes the factors behind the recent expansion of Fairtrade and questions whether the trust given to the scheme by "ethical" shoppers is warranted, analyzing the claim of ethical shopping and by scrutinizing the specific contribution of the Fairtrade Certification Mark to producer's welfare. This assessment is based on information gathered in a mixture of desk-based research and fieldwork carried out in South Africa, Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile.