Traidcraft: Inspiring A Fair Trade Revolution

Many of you will recognise the author of this inspirational book; Joe Osman, who joined us here at Traidcraft in our early days, has written this insightful book, featuring stories and anecdotes covering his extensive experience of travelling and putting fair trade into practice. The story is told through Joe’s eyes, as one of our longest serving team members. Whether you’re new to us here at Traidcraft and are hoping to learn a little more, or you’ve been with us from the start and wish for a trip down memory lane – this book is certain to spark emotions and fill in any gaps in your knowledge about fair trade and Traidcraft.

COMING SOON!

“If you really want to know about the early 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.” Robin Roth

Q&A WITH THE AUTHOR

For those of us who may be new to Traidcraft, could you tell us a little bit about your background in fair trade and relationship with Traidcraft?

I joined Traidcraft in 1981, although before that I worked at Tearcraft which was really a ‘prequel’ to Traidcraft. In the book, I cover that period of the late 70s and the story behind Traidcraft’s emergence from its previous incarnation and some of the issues and even conflicts behind that. For much of my time at Traidcraft I was involved in working with overseas producers and with developing many of the food products that Traidcraft still sells.

Can you summarise your book and what insight people might gain from reading it?

The book is divided into eight parts, each with a number of chapters. Four of those parts chart the history of Traidcraft fairly chronologically and this fits more or less into the four decades of its existence, which I believe all had their own individual characteristics. The other four parts are more thematic and I thought probably deserved a bit more detail. I explored Traidcraft’s Christian roots, heritage and practice in one part and Traidcraft’s role in the development of the global fair trade movement in another. The remaining two parts are more product focussed and look at some of the innovative product development’s that Traidcraft can rightly claim as ‘firsts’ and then some of the interesting experiences working with mainstream retailers. I very much hope that by reading this book that the legacy of Traidcraft might be recognised more fully than I believe it is. As the formal book synopsis reads “Traidcraft was a true pioneer of the Fair Trade movement and has played a major role in changing the landscape of ethical shopping”. A lot of Traidcraft’s work, mostly through Traidcraft Exchange, went beyond fair trade – its role in the creation of Shared Interest, Social Accounting, the Ethical Trade Initiative and the Groceries Code Adjudicator being four examples.

What compelled you to write your book?

The changes made in 2019 which led to Traidcraft’s survival neither held a place for me, nor were of interest to me. Being involved in an organisation for so long meant that seeking ‘closure’ would be important, and writing this book was a form of closure. A number of colleagues also encouraged me to do so. As I say in the introduction to the book “I eventually concluded that I was probably the best, if not only, person to write something, given that I’ve lived and breathed the organization for much of my life.” History has a habit of being reinterpreted at times and I thought it important to at least record something definitive whilst also recognising, again quoting from the introduction “History anyway is, in a sense, interpretive”.

How long did your book take to write?

Conceiving the book started before I left Traidcraft. The first thing that I felt I needed to do was meet up with Richard Adams to discuss the project. I suppose I felt perhaps that I needed the ‘blessing’ of Traidcraft’s founder, and this led to various ideas and ways to write it. For example, we concluded that getting contributions from others would be a good thing. I started writing in February 2019 and had the bulk of the narrative completed within 2-3 months. After completing the first 10,000 words I sent my draft manuscript to Richard whose affirmation gave me confidence to go ahead with the next 70,000 words! Then deciding who else needed to contribute, tracking them down, occasionally meeting up, getting them to write their piece, and incorporating into what I’d already written took a bit longer. There are more options for ‘self-publication’ these days but, having discussed with a number of folk, I concluded that it would be good to have a professional book publisher and I eventually signed up with Lion Hudson and submitted to them the ‘final manuscript in September 2019. Ironically they were the publisher of Richard Adams book ‘Who Profits?’ back in the late 1980’s. I also thought it might be a good idea to have a high profile person to write a foreword and in January 2020 was fortunate to obtain this from Dr John Sentamu, the former Archbishop of York whose wife Margaret was previously both a trustee and director of Traidcraft.

Is the finished article exactly what you’d set out to write, or did the purpose change as you were writing?

It evolved and I didn’t really have any clear vision of the finished article when I started. The piece of advice I got from a couple of folks who are published authors was ‘just write’ so I did! I think that the external contributions add to the whole thing and I have over 20 contributors. The majority are ex-members of staff including everyone who has led the organisation from its birth until my departure. This even includes Paul Johns who took over from Richard Adams in the late 1980s and I was pleased to be able to ‘track him down’! There are also contributions from those who have led the Fairtrade Foundation since it was founded and from producers.

Your book charts the history

of Traidcraft from its birth in 1979, up until our 40th anniversary in 2019. What do you think the future holds for Traidcraft?

I really find it difficult to answer this. In one of the later chapters I say the following: “When the announcement was made in 2018 that Traidcraft plc would cease trading, it came as a shock to many, but as inevitable to others…. For some, there was a feeling that perhaps Traidcraft plc had run its course and, without some of the activities and characteristics that made it unique, there was little point to it.” I think that the Traidcraft of 2020 needs to find what it is that makes it unique. This will be different to the historic organisation and maybe it just needs the time to consolidate and then establish what that is.

Your book discusses

how Traidcraft have played a major role in changing the landscape of ethical shopping. Do you think our work is done?

I don’t think that the work of fair trade is yet done. Indeed, the news of the recent past which has seen large brands pull out of using the Fairtrade mark for what can only be described as ‘commercial reasons’ can only reinforce that. As I said, Traidcraft needs to be clear what it is famous for – in the present and not in the past. Whilst it’s true that Traidcraft, as a trading company and development charity, combined “played a major role in changing the landscape of ethical shopping” the plc was always the exemplar of what a Fair Trade Organisation should be and do. Just ‘ethical’ was not good enough. Indeed, our historical view of the word ‘ethical’ derived from its use in the medical world – ‘do no harm’. Personally, I don’t believe it’s good enough for Traidcraft plc to merely ‘do no harm’ and fair trade was and is something that has ‘development’ in its DNA.

What does fair trade mean to you, personally?

I do subscribe to the definition of fair trade which lots of people worked long and hard to establish in days gone by and which both Fairtrade International and world Fair Trade Organisation affirm as at the heart of their mission. I think it’s worth transcribing that short but important paragraph as part of this answer. “Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers – especially in the South. Fair Trade Organizations, backed by consumers, are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade.” Of course, the motivation behind subscribing to this is just as important as the definition itself. For me this was always faith based and with a focus on justice. In my book, I explore how Traidcraft’s messaging changed through time but ultimately the 1980s’ mission statement of Traidcraft still resonates with me personally: “Traidcraft aims to expand and establish more just trading systems which will express the principles of love and justice fundamental to the Christian faith. Practical service and a partnership for change will characterise the organisation, which puts people before profit.”