Journal of Fair Trade

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Latest documents

• Systems, solidarity and fair trade

  The words fair trade are simple, but the ideas behind them are complex. Systems thinking allows an accessible, pluralistic response in which diversity is a bonus rather than a problem, while the model developed here offers a coherent framework for some familiar ideas, and some perhaps less so. A key distinction is made between procedural and reconstructive fair traders. Procedural fair traders focus on making market procedures more equitable. Reconstructive fair traders seek directly to repair social and environmental inequities arising from market and other systemic failures. These roles are seen as complementary rather than mutually exclusive. Procedural reform of the market rewrites the role of intermediaries in the supply chain from profit maximisation towards facilitation. At the same time, both types of fair trader are concerned by the market’s tendency to externalise social and environmental costs. Both types of fair traders also recognise the importance of consumer awareness: corporate behaviour is influenced both by the aggregate of purchasing decisions and by reputational concerns. All of these factors can be understood in the context of an holistic systems view of fair trade in three dimensions: the qualitative narrative, the quantifiable evidence, and the realities of ethical pluralism. This first model is fairly abstract, although underpinned by genuine experience. There is a further step, in which the contribution of this generalised model to the strategies of fair-trade enterprises will be explored.

• Can fashion ever be fair?

  The recent global economic crisis has highlighted the vulnerability of millions of women in apparel supply chains worldwide. Despite decades of activism and a plethora of corporate social responsibility and ethical labelling initiatives, there has been little evidence of progress toward greater equity in the fashion sector. Why can’t we make fashion more fair? This article explains historically rooted causes of inequity for Black and Brown women in apparel supply chains and details the rise of Fair Trade initiatives intended to use market forces to improve existing practices and support alternatives. Attempts to use consumerism and market forces to drive social change raised deep questions for social movement actors regarding first principles. Notwithstanding years of effort, Fair Trade apparel has failed to achieve any significant market penetration. Yet the sector as a whole is experiencing overlapping shocks of digitisation, climate change and pandemic-exacerbated disruptions to supply chains. Social movement actors are also targeting the sector with new demands for social and economic justice. This may provide opportunities to redesign our thinking around Fair Trade and what constitutes fairness in fashion.

• An investigation of Fair Trade product knowledge, beliefs, experiences and buying intentions of Generation Z in the US

  The Fair Trade movement is an alternative way to conduct international and domestic business by trying to improve trading conditions of disadvantaged producers around the world through consumer actions. Consumers can support the movement by purchasing FT certified products, which confirm that products meet ethical principles and environmental standards that are set in accordance with the requirements. However, FT product sales in the US have been lagging in comparison to the FT product sales in Europe. For instance, per capita consumption of the value of FT products was approximately €3 in the US in comparison to €34 in the UK (Fairtrade International, 2016). This study investigates several variables that can influence Fair Trade consumption, and, specifically, the effects of consumers’ knowledge, beliefs and past experiences on their purchase intentions of Fair Trade products among urban youth consumers in the US. Using the Theory of Reasoned Action as the conceptual framework, data were collected from 154 subjects using an online survey. The results indicate that consumer knowledge about FT has significant positive influence on their purchase intentions, but this relationship is mediated and strengthened by their beliefs and past behaviour. We offer various implications of these findings to FT businesses and organisations.

• Journal of Fair Trade
• Recentring Fair Trade in the movement for a just, inclusive and regenerative economy

  From the 1970s to the 1990s, Fair Trade was at the front edge of an emerging new paradigm about the purpose of business and the meaning of economic success. The movement for a just, inclusive, and regenerative economy has continued to expand, but today’s young entrepreneurs and activists are more likely to enter through other communities like Buy Local campaigns, racial justice, worker ownership, platform co-operatives, B Corps, social enterprise, regenerative agriculture, zero waste or climate action. Social movements often happen in waves across multiple generations. As Fair Trade commodity certification has become increasingly mainstream, it can be seen as a first wave of the movement. It is a success that deserves to be celebrated, but on its own, it is difficult to sustain. The Fair Trade enterprise community has the potential to engage the next generation of mission-driven entrepreneurs and activists, speed up the next wave of the movement and lock in the success of the first.

• Contents
• Recentring Fair Trade in the movement for a just, inclusive and regenerative economy

  From the 1970s to the 1990s, Fair Trade was at the front edge of an emerging new paradigm about the purpose of business and the meaning of economic success. The movement for a just, inclusive, and regenerative economy has continued to expand, but today’s young entrepreneurs and activists are more likely to enter through other communities like Buy Local campaigns, racial justice, worker ownership, platform co-operatives, B Corps, social enterprise, regenerative agriculture, zero waste or climate action. Social movements often happen in waves across multiple generations. As Fair Trade commodity certification has become increasingly mainstream, it can be seen as a first wave of the movement. It is a success that deserves to be celebrated, but on its own, it is difficult to sustain. The Fair Trade enterprise community has the potential to engage the next generation of mission-driven entrepreneurs and activists, speed up the next wave of the movement and lock in the success of the first.

• Developing Fair Trade fruit supply chains from the forests of Senegal's Casamance

  As core certified Fairtrade products have become mainstream in the UK market since the late 1990s, Traidcraft Exchange has focused energies on bringing new innovative supply chains and new small-producer organisations into the wider Fair Trade system. The case study presented here focuses on indigenous ‘superfood’ fruits from the forests of Senegal's Casamance region. Traidcraft Exchange has worked in partnership with two local processing SMEs and 2,200 small-scale producers in the Casamance to develop transparent and fair supply chains for these fruits. The work was catalysed by, but is not limited to, the development of a new range of Fair Trade juice drinks for the UK market. The case study highlights some of the achievements and challenges faced by the programme, particularly with reference to its post-conflict setting. It situates the work within the broader context of the ‘leave no one behind’ agenda and explores how a trade-based programme has contributed towards this aim. Of particular note here are the development of social capital, small producer negotiating power and improved value chain coordination.

• An empirical study identifying Fair Trade consumer attributes of compassion and sustainability awareness

  While growing awareness, concern and expectation among stakeholders for companies to implement Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies exists, the fashion industry's global supply chains and product lifecycles are unsustainable. Fair Trade apparel bridges that gap. The Fair Trade and CSR literature supports the idea that fair trade consumers should possess the attributes of (a) compassion for oneself, others and the environment (COOE) and (b) desire for sustainability awareness (DSA). In this study, we contribute to the literature by developing two new scales to measure these unique qualities. Online surveys were distributed to 1,197 individuals and 258 respondents make up the sample. An Exploratory Factor Analysis, using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with Varimax Rotation was administered on all items, which made up both scales to determine discriminant validity. Scholars and practitioners can use both new scales to holistically analyse and identify the attributes that motivate consumers to purchase Fair Trade apparel.

• Challenges of COVID-19 for Fair Trade enterprises in attaining Sustainable Development Goals 2030

  This paper aims to explore challenges of COVID-19 in achieving sustainable development goal (SDG) 1 ‘no poverty’ by Fair Trade (FT) enterprises. The authors used focus group discussion (FGD) with seven members of World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) – Asia, from six different countries: Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Findings suggest that COVID-19 has posed bigger challenges to FT enterprises in achieving the SDGs since the pandemic has created challenges not only to the economic aspect but also to the health, education, safety and security of the communities. Due to COVID-19, the progress in attaining SDGs has slowed down, as global unemployment surged, global markets collapsed with a catastrophic economic downturn, which could eventually push more people to the pit of poverty. Stronger collaboration among the stakeholders is needed to achieve the SDGs.

Featured documents

• Can fashion ever be fair?

  The recent global economic crisis has highlighted the vulnerability of millions of women in apparel supply chains worldwide. Despite decades of activism and a plethora of corporate social responsibility and ethical labelling initiatives, there has been little evidence of progress toward greater...

• Systems, solidarity and fair trade

  The words fair trade are simple, but the ideas behind them are complex. Systems thinking allows an accessible, pluralistic response in which diversity is a bonus rather than a problem, while the model developed here offers a coherent framework for some familiar ideas, and some perhaps less so. A...

• How impactful is Fair Trade? A paradigm shift in reporting would tell a better story

  There is an extensive literature on the impact of Fair Trade. While much of the evidence is positive, there are also studies that find negligible, neutral or even negative effects. In this article, I propose that a paradigm shift towards systematic and regular outcome and impact reporting by Fair...

• Facilitating social enterprise development through collective marketing: insights from Bukonzo Joint Co-operative Union, Western Uganda

  Collective marketing is an avenue through which farmers could receive higher returns from their produce. Bukonzo Joint Co-operative Union exemplifies this: it has obtained both Fairtrade and organic certifications and, by following the Fairtrade ethos and offering farmers a guaranteed (and often)...

• Fairtrade coffee consumption in Spain: Employing dual attitudes and construal level theory to draw insights on the ethical purchasing gap

  As a contribution to the debate about Fair Trade contributions to the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals, this article investigates Spanish shoppers' behaviour towards Fairtrade coffee. Although consumers generally state that they purchase fairly traded products, the market shares of...

• Strategic use of branding for competitiveness: the rationale for branding and marketing agricultural products of African countries

  Growers of agricultural products and key actors involved in the value chain in advanced and high-income developing countries commonly use brands in marketing agricultural products and strengthening competiveness in the market. However, the tool is little known and used by farmers and stakeholders...

• Who enables sustainable Fair Trade? The current status and challenges of Fair Trade in Korea

  This study aims to explore the status of Fair Trade in Korea and suggest directions Korean Fair Trade might take for its sustainable development and practices. Initiated in the early 2000s, Fair Trade in Korea has been growing ever since. It has seen the emergence of various participants in Fair...

• Gaps in expectations of a cotton producer: the case of Rwenzori cotton farmers in Uganda

  The plight of the smallholder cotton farmer in the Rwenzori region of western Uganda starts with the unfair terms of hiring land for cultivation. The next hurdle is the loss of ownership of the cotton at the earliest stage of the value chain after delivering the produce to the ginner. Even the...

• Recentring Fair Trade in the movement for a just, inclusive and regenerative economy

  From the 1970s to the 1990s, Fair Trade was at the front edge of an emerging new paradigm about the purpose of business and the meaning of economic success. The movement for a just, inclusive, and regenerative economy has continued to expand, but today’s young entrepreneurs and activists are more...

• Fair Trade cannabis: a road map for meeting the socio-economic needs and interests of small and traditional growers

  Policy changes over the past five years have dramatically reshaped the global cannabis market, opening up legal markets for medical cannabis and, increasingly, also for adult, non-medical use. Despite the fact that these shifts look set to bring a clear range of benefits in terms of health and...