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Postcards from the edge: maintaining the 'alternative' character of fair trade

Author

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  • William Low

    (University of Auckland, New Zealand)

  • Eileen Davenport

    (Compass Consulting, New Zealand)

Abstract

This paper argues that the pressures for fair trade to substantially increase market access for marginalized producers in the global South and subsequently move fair trade out of niche into mainstream markets is reshaping the boundaries of the movement. We suggest that going mainstream carries with it the danger of appropriation of the more convenient elements of fair trade by the commercial sector and loss of the more radical edges. This paper examines the changing discourse surrounding fair trade, critically reflecting on the movement's history to understand how its evolution to date might influence its possible futures. The paper concludes by exploring how various elements within the fair trade movement are trying to retain a radical edge in order to continue to provide a critique of the dominant paradigm of business and trade. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Suggested Citation

  • William Low & Eileen Davenport, 2005. "Postcards from the edge: maintaining the 'alternative' character of fair trade," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(3), pages 143-153.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:13:y:2005:i:3:p:143-153
    DOI: 10.1002/sd.275
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jess Bonnan-White & Andrea Hightower & Ameena Issa, 2013. "Of couscous and occupation: a case study of women’s motivations to join and participate in Palestinian fair trade cooperatives," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 30(3), pages 337-350, September.
    2. Corinne Gendron & Véronique Bisaillon & Ana Rance, 2009. "The Institutionalization of Fair Trade: More than Just a Degraded Form of Social Action," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 86(1), pages 63-79, April.
    3. Nick Clarke & Clive Barnett & Paul Cloke & Alice Malpass, 2007. "The Political Rationalities of Fair-Trade Consumption in the United Kingdom," Politics & Society, , vol. 35(4), pages 583-607, December.
    4. Jutta Kister, 2013. "Fair trade in Germany left the niche market. Power shifts observed in global fair trade value chains," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 15(3), pages 35-54.
    5. Elisabeth Nindl, 2014. "An empirical assessment of Fairtrade: A perspective for low- and middle-income countries?," Department of Economics Working Papers wuwp160, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Department of Economics.
    6. Will Low & Eileen Davenport, 2009. "Organizational Leadership, Ethics and the Challenges of Marketing Fair and Ethical Trade," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 86(1), pages 97-108, April.
    7. Park, Albert Sanghoon, 2017. "Does the Development Discourse Learn from History?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 52-64.
    8. Darryl Reed, 2009. "What do Corporations have to do with Fair Trade? Positive and Normative Analysis from a Value Chain Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 86(1), pages 3-26, April.
    9. Vermeulen, W.J.V. & Kok, M.T.J., 2012. "Government interventions in sustainable supply chain governance: Experience in Dutch front-running cases," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 183-196.
    10. Francisco VanderHoff Boersma, 2009. "The Urgency and Necessity of a Different Type of Market: The Perspective of Producers Organized Within the Fair Trade Market," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 86(1), pages 51-61, April.
    11. J. McMurtry, 2009. "Ethical Value-Added: Fair Trade and the Case of Café Femenino," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 86(1), pages 27-49, April.
    12. Anne Tallontire, 2009. "Top heavy? Governance issues and policy decisions for the fair trade movement," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 21(7), pages 1004-1014.
    13. Hye Jung Jung & HaeJung Kim & Kyung Wha Oh, 2016. "Green Leather for Ethical Consumers in China and Korea: Facilitating Ethical Consumption with Value–Belief–Attitude Logic," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 135(3), pages 483-502, May.
    14. Iain Davies & Bob Doherty & Simon Knox, 2010. "The Rise and Stall of a Fair Trade Pioneer: The Cafédirect Story," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 92(1), pages 127-147, March.
    15. Anna Ray Davies, 2009. "Does sustainability count? Environmental policy, sustainable development and the governance of grassroots sustainability enterprise in Ireland," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 17(3), pages 174-182.

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