Who really makes money from Fair Trade? That's a question people got when Starbucks announced that its coffee would be Fair Trade certified. In connection with this occurrence, an interesting article appeared on The Ecologist (Is Fair Trade still fair, 2009). They make clear that consumers need to be aware of the use of Fair Trade certification as a marketing or PR tool. That's why I want to react on the blog "Fair Trade as a useful tool to boost your company's image".
To be honest, I'm not too sure about his reasoning. First of all, I think that only a little percentage of the extra profits will move on to the farmers of developing countries. We could say that "The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer". Second, It's clear for everyone that Fair Trade aims that producers and workers in developing countries benefit from global Fair Trade sales, not the multinationals.
Because of this, Fair Trade Labeling Organizations have to increase wakefulness in order to achieve trade justice. The expand of Fair Trade is rightful, but it need to be done in a way that nurture the artisans who are in bad situations!
Tessa De Clerck
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/270375/is_fairtrade_still_fair.html
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