Text 1:
With so many different definitions, and no single, authoritative body, Fair Trade takes many forms in the U.S. and around the world. Different organizations and individuals use different criteria for determining what is, and isn’t, Fair Trade (page 5).
“Unlike with organics, Fair Trade is not regulated by any government institution or single authority. So, conscious consumers now need to use precious time to discern the significant differences between various Fair Trade accreditations” (page 28).
Response 1:
Earlier in the text there is discussion regarding the widening gap between the rich and the poor and how “conventional trade often lowers labor and environmental standards below a subsistence and sustainable level”. It seems that big businesses are the reason that these problems exist and persist, because they are so powerful that opposition is difficult. Why can’t Fair Trade become a centralized enterprise? The fact that there is no single authoritative body means that it is more difficult to make changes, especially when the opponents are so monstrous. “Unlike with organics, Fair Trade is not regulated by any government institution or single authority. So, conscious consumers now need to use precious time to discern the significant differences between various Fair Trade accreditations.” By making it so difficult to verify, Fair Trade becomes less attractive and less used by consumers. What I would like to know is, are there any efforts to combine the major Fair Trade organizations? In addition, would Fair Trade become more impactful if this were possible? I think it would and I think that it’s very important.
Text 2:
Major Brands Selling Some Fair Trade Certified Products:
Dunkin Donuts, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Caribou Coffee, Peet’s Coffee and Tea, Starbucks Coffee,
Safeway, Sam’s Club, Target, Trader Joe’s, Wal-Mart, Whole Foods Market, Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops, Bruegger’s, Einstein Bagels (page 18).
Perhaps the thorniest dilemma confronting Fair Traders in the early 21st century is this: Can Fair Trade achieve its full potential by changing conventional trade from within? Or is it better to develop alternative business models that take market share from mainstream companies and force them to meet higher standards? (page 26)
Response 2:
My response here has more questions in it than it does actual reflection. I want to know how difficult it is to get these big companies to change to Fair Trade production. What is the process? Do companies see that this is the direction that consumers are going in or do they think it’s just a phase that will pass and allow them to continue in the same direction? I think that the reality of the situation is that all of the companies in the world practicing non-Fair Trade and non-Fair Labor production (which is probably most) cannot be overtaken by Fair Trade organizations. Therefore, we must present viable solutions and different production plans to these companies whose production practices we wish to change. The reading asks many questions such as “Reform or Replace Conventional Trade?” Can we get these questions answered so that we can move forward or are differing opinions and unanswered questions going to hold us back from changing the world?
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