Conclusion

This chapter suggests that we use the broader framework of feminist social justice to analyze oppression and exploitation at the global level. Noting that in real life the ethical and the political overlap, the chapter advocates a dual-track approach to problems of injustice, both individual, immediate aid and long-term systemic changes. Emphasizing the connections between local economic institutions, such as cooperatives and Fair Trade organizations, and transnational projects, such as the solidarity economy, the chapter shows how the local work of the Self-Employed Women’s Association and Marketplace India connect to transnational projects for both economic justice and gender equity. Supporting grassroots organizations engaged in transnational work for gender and economic justice is one route for engaging in transnational feminist solidarity. In terms of methodology, the chapter concludes by suggesting a shift from independence to interdependence, from identity to intersectionality, and from political interest to social and political imagination.

Fair trade in Brazil: current status, constraints and opportunities

Fair trade has expanded worldwide as a formal certification, while in developing countries like Brazil, there is still a lack of information about this concept in a context of the growth of social businesses. To answer the research question “How is fair trade currently organized in Brazil and what are the constrains and opportunities involved?”, we analyzed a database of 277 Brazilian organizations linked to fair trade, followed by in-depth interviews with Brazilian experts. Results show that fair trade has grown between 2005 and 2012 due to the support of institutions and public agencies, even if organizations still face financial difficulties. As it has grown as a public policy, its development has strengthened the concept and the groups involved, providing a good perspective for the internal market. Fair trade has a social role and a political nature, what might attract the attention of policy makers regarding social programs and the support of fair trade organizations.

Mediating the agency of distant others: Proper distance in fair trade communication on Facebook

To introduce economic justice into global trade, fair trade organizations strive to ‘shorten the distance’ between producers and consumers through mediation. This article problematizes the idea of ‘shortening the distance’ through the notion of maintaining the ‘proper distance’ in representing distant others. This perspective is used in narratological analysis of the content that fair trade organizations curate on their Facebook pages to represent Southern producers. The two organizations studied are: (1) Fairtrade Finland, a non-governmental organization (NGO); (2) Pizca del Mundo, a commercial brand in Poland. This article identifies the discursive and narrative forms of mediated agency that are offered to producers. The analysis revealed that Fairtrade Finland utilized Facebook to extend the narrative of producers as active subjects. By using the affordances of Facebook, Pizca del Mundo increased the mediated agency of producers but problematized the maintenance of the proper distance in their representations.

Placing the distant other on the shelf: An analysis and comparison of (fair trade) coffee packages in relation to commodity fetishism

Fair trade has been praised for ‘de-fetishizing’ commodities by providing consumers with information on the production of the commodity. Various empirical studies of fair trade marketing materials have generated critique of this vision. However, these focused on materials produced by engaged fair trade organizations. As the fair trade concept has entered the mainstream, fair trade products have found their way into supermarkets. In this setting, these products are confronted with competition, both internal (with other fair trade products) and external (with non-fair trade products). In this article, we argue for a broader focus when studying the relationship between fair trade and defetishization. Our argument is based on a study of whether and how defetishization is advanced on packages of ground coffee within the retail landscape of Flanders, Belgium. Several categories of packages can be distinguished, based on brand (e.g., fair trade advocate, regular brand, retailer house brand) and label (e.g. fair trade label; other social label; no label, but origin is emphasized in the product name). We demonstrate the difficulty of distinguishing these packages based on the visual and textual information they carry (beyond the label), which complicates the identification of any clearly distinct ‘fair trade message’ on these packages. Instead of serving a clear ‘defetishizing’ function, these messages are mixed, interchanged, and adapted. We argue that this could be a direct consequence of perceived or actual changes in the consumer publics inherent to the mainstreaming of fair trade.

Escalation of Governance: Effects of Voluntary Standardization on Organizations, Markets and Standards in Swiss Fair Trade

Voluntary standards are a ubiquitous phenomenon in modern society that has recently started to attract sociologists’ profound interest. This paper concentrates on formal standardization over the long term and seeks to understand its effects on the coordination of an organizational field. Using an institutional approach we see standards as a form of governance that can be analytically distinguished from other modes of coordination, such as markets and hierarchical organizations. To empirically ground our understanding of formal standards’ consequences on field-level governance, we conducted a case study of the historical development of the Swiss fair trade field since the 1970s. Evidence used in this case study is drawn from 28 expert interviews, documentation and fair trade standard documents. While a formal set of voluntary standards was absent in its early development, in 1992 fair trade organizations started to use written standards as a means of achieving their objectives. Paradoxically, the introduction of a rational standardization system has led to escalating governance structures in the field. In the long run the launch of formal standards has caused more organizations, more markets, and even more standards. The use of standards as a means of creating differentiation instead of generating uniformity is thereby seen as the main reason for increased coordination demands. As a consequence, this article highlights standards’ potential to boost additional governance efforts and directs attention to the mutual enforcement of distinct modes of coordination.

Fair trade consumption from the perspective of US Baby Boomers

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to expand the knowledge base of Baby Boomers’ attitudes, behaviours and perceived barriers related to fair trade purchasing. Design/methodology/approach – This study included 168 Baby Boomers. Data were collected through an online questionnaire. Data analysis included a combination of both quantitative (descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests and correlation analysis) and qualitative techniques. Findings – Findings indicated that the participants exhibited positive attitudes towards fair trade but were minimally engaged in fair trade purchasing. Furthermore, the participants perceived numerous barriers to purchasing fair trade products including the incompatibility of fair trade merchandise with lifestyles, the inability to touch and see fair trade products prior to purchase and difficulty in identifying fair trade items. Research limitations/implications – A limitation of this study is that the sample was well-educated university faculty and it is not representative of all Baby Boomers. Practical implications – Fair trade entities need to be more effective in marketing the advantages of the fair trade. Fair trade organizations should consider targeting marketing strategies specific to the unique demographic and psychographic characteristics of Baby Boomer consumers. Originality/value – This research expands understanding of the consumer behaviours of US Baby Boomers related to fair trade. An additional contribution is the comparison of differences in fair trade knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of Early vs Late Baby Boomers. It also has potentially important implications for fair trade organizations, as the paper discusses marketing strategies specific to Baby Boomers.