What is Fair Trade?

by Shayna Harris · 2009-03-18 14:26:00 UTC
Topics:

What is Fair Trade?  This is a question that I pose to you, readers.

Some envision Fair Trade as an economy based on partnerships which honor ‘dialogue, transparency, and respect.’  Others view Fair Trade as a certification and business auditing system which guarantees a minimum price paid to farmers for products sold in the US.  For some, Fair Trade is rooted in environmental and social values.  George Bush frequently called for ‘free and fair trade abroad’ – referring to unfettered open markets based on no social or environmental values at all.

As an alternative economic concept, Fair Trade is sometimes related to the concepts of the solidarity economy, ethical trade, and green consumerism. Some see Fair Trade as a reformist concept, and others as a revolutionary one.

Some of us don't even know whether the term should be capitalized (Fair Trade), un-capitalized (fair trade), or even trademarked (as in Fair Trade Certified).

This weekly guest blog will be a place to explore all of these ideas, with the general aim at promoting ‘dialogue, transparency, and respect’ among a community that cares about poverty and trade, the link between global and local economies, and how we can work together to create a more just & humane world.

So again, I pose this question - what is Fair Trade to you?  Leave a comment this week, and we'll continue to explore together in next Wednesday's edition.

Shayna Harris
PREVIOUS STORY:
Glass Half Full, Glass Half Empty
NEXT STORY:
A letter from Bettina Siegel, "Pink Slime" petition creator

COMMENTS (10)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.