What is Fair Trade Part II- Who OWNS Fair Trade?

Published March 27, 2009 @ 03:01PM PT

Thanks for your thoughtful replies to last week's entry, What is Fair Trade. To be honest, the range of perspectives represented via your comments have left me a little bit more confused. Is Fair Trade a movement? Is it a market? A certification? A brand? I wonder if it can it be all of these things in a meaningful and effective way....

All agreed that Fair Trade could be a powerful market-based tool for change, but then one commented that, "as a mechanism to provide a living for American retailers in America, it fails because it's not market-driven." Some expressed that certification is an important tool to further Fair Trade, but it is merely one amongst many in the toolbox. And although certification is just one tool, many question the validity of those who claim to be ‘Fair Trade' without some sort of consumer guarantee.

Some of you referred to Fair Trade as an evolution from harmful and outdated economic theories, and others pushed farther, asserting that "fair trade is a people's movement for change."

On a very related note, I was listening to a podcast of a panel called Who Owns Fair Trade (thanks to fellow Fair Trade blogger Jackie deCarlo). I was hoping that this panel, hosted by London School of Economics and Trading Visions, would indeed lead me to the owners of Fair Trade and I could just ask them the very definition of what this is all about. If only it was so simple.

The podcast features five prominent and diverse Fair Trade actors from three different continents, representing a wide, wide range of opinions within the Fair Trade world. So who owns Fair Trade?

Katie Safford, a sustainability consultant at Price Waterhouse Cooper, takes the position that Fair Trade is two things - a movement, and a powerful consumer brand. She argues that the shareholders of Fair Trade, its owners, are the Fair Trade businesses (from farmer or artisan to processor to sales outlet). And that NGOs are mere analysts who can influence the business owners of Fair Trade.

Katie further asserts that Fair Trade must be big business friendly, especially in times of economic crisis, so that these risk adverse businesses don't divest from Fair Trade.

This viewpoint is refuted by Fair Trade business owner Kate Sebag, who says that Fair Trade can be owned by any, from Tesco's supermarket to the local primary school, from Ben & Jerry's to a tiny Scottish village. "So long as you obey the rules, you can buy into Fair Trade... but the question we should ask ourselves is, are the rules tough enough?" She says that every owner interprets Fair Trade with different meanings.

Kate challenges the collective owners, the standard setters of Fair Trade, to be tougher so that the rules of the game do not squeeze farmers and artisans even during times of economic crisis.

This raises just the dichotomy or ‘multi-chotomy' of opinion around the core question of who ‘owns' Fair Trade. Can be Fair Trade really be ‘owned' by any?
Longtime Fair Trader pioneer Pauline Tiffen says NO!, Fair Trade can not be owned. It is an idea. A concept. It evolves and is constantly being redefined. We can't own it. And redefinition, uncertainty, and plurality of interpretation is important, because it allows for ‘more jostling' so that we can push Fair Traders to do more and deepen their integrity.

So it comes back to us, as Fair Trade supporters and consumers. We can ‘own' Fair Trade products, but can we ‘own' Fair Trade? The market, the brand, or the movement? And if there are no defined owners, who defines Fair Trade? Maybe it's simply each and every one of us.

Dear readers, I leave these questions to you to work out over the next week.

Listen to the podcast! And then share your opinion here.

[photo: www.monmouthshiregreenweb.co.uk]

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Comments (6)

We've wondered about who legally can use the term "fair trade" to describe their products. Does TransFair/FLO (fairtrade labeling organization) who own the "Fair Trade Certified" trademark have legal exclusive rights to the term, or legally speaking is it more like the term "organic certified" where various certifiers and standards can exist and use the term? Was this covered at all?

Posted by Adam King on 03/30/2009 @ 07:57AM PT
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Wow this is a tougher question.

I think we can all own Fair Trade, since it's an idea and a value. As long as we're doing "good" by adhering to ethical business standards, respecting the environment or supporting fair trade businesses, then I think we can call ourselves "owners" of Fair Trade.

In addition, you mentioned how some people think it's important for the movement/market to keep evolving, and we all have so many different ideas (which overlap in terms of integrity), so really owning Fair Trade just means that we believe in the power of the movement and brand and community and market to make positive changes and positive impacts in the world.

Posted by Juan Portillo on 03/30/2009 @ 11:43AM PT
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Lets hope fair trade doesn't get owned by traditional economists! lol

Posted by Juan Portillo on 03/30/2009 @ 11:44AM PT
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I've really enjoyed reading these posts and what you made of our 'Who Owns Fairtrade' debate... you put it really well when you talk about the need for 'more jostling' in the movement to deepen integrity and commitment.

It can feel unhelpful or counterproductive to 'question' fair trade, but I do think it strengthens the movement if we are able to explicitly explore the uncertainties around us. That was definitely the point of holding that debate. We're looking forwards to many more!

Posted by Tom Allen on 04/08/2009 @ 06:14AM PT
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Are there any examples of FLO/Transfair going after people who call their product "fair trade certified" or even just "fair trade" but aren't using FLO certification? Any alternative certifiers that go by the "fair trade" moniker?

Posted by Adam King on 04/08/2009 @ 11:02AM PT
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I don't know about that, but the only way I can think anyone can really go after people who aren't really fair trade when they claim they are is to uphold consumer protection laws, you know, to protest against it if you think it's a scam.

However, I do know of several people who adhere to fair trade standards but are not endorsed by FTF or TransFair. Some people do have a huge problem with certification and out of principle decide not to be certified, unless they want to have a say in the direction the certifying agencies take.

Does that make sense?

Posted by Juan Portillo on 04/08/2009 @ 11:55AM PT
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Author

Shayna's a Fulbright Scholar living in northeastern Brazil, and is currently steeped in learning about agroecological farming from local families. She's a Fair Trade activist and spent over six years working as an organizer with with Oxfam America and United Students for Fair Trade.