THE FAIRTRADE FIGHT IS FAR FROM OVER THOUGHTS FROM ROBIN ROTH Fairtrade is going through some difficult times. Nestle’s announcement that it would be switching off its Fairtrade certification in favour of Rainforest Alliance this autumn came as a huge blow to many.
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t will be especially hard felt by those farmers in the Ivory Coast who have benefited from additional premiums and secure prices over the past 10 years. A number of Traidcraft supporters have written to me recently expressing their frustration that the Fairtrade message is slowly and surely being eroded. I agree wholeheartedly. Joe Osman’s book ‘Traidcraft: Inspiring a Fair Trade Revolution’ is a good read for times like these. Joe worked at Traidcraft for over 35 years and was involved in nearly every major development over that period. Well before the phrase “fair trade” was even invented and back in the days when it was all about “alternative marketing”, Joe had his hand on the tiller, and helped guide the movement towards more structure and clearer goals as well as helping introduce the first coffees, teas and chocolates to the UK market. His book is available at the end of August and if you really want to know about the early 14 traidcraftshop.co.uk
trajectory of this revolutionary movement, I can only recommend you get a copy. “Revolutionary” is a strong word to use, but I think it fits the bill. Back in the 1970s international business was beginning to expand at an incredible rate. The world economy is five times bigger today than it was back then and as barriers to trade began to fall, and as goods began to flow more easily, the power of the world’s biggest traders grew in equal measure. They ruthlessly expanded their reach and their power over the many, poorly organised farming communities in developing countries that supply our daily basics. When early fair traders suggested that farmers be paid a proper price for their products, the big boys just shrugged their shoulders and carried on. It was an extraordinary victory for the Fairtrade movement when many of these companies were eventually forced to accept that decent pay, decent terms of trade and long-term investment in their suppliers was something they could no longer ignore. Consumers, counterintuitively, were willing to pay more if the conditions were right.
