There is a certain enigma about Fairtrade products. We clearly want to be able to choose to buy products made in countries and in ways that help people that are less fortunate as us. Sometimes it is a straight forward decision: chocolate and bananas from one South American country via Fairtrade or another that isn't.
But what about a (fictitious) Peruvian Fairtrade Co-op that makes rugs, tables and vases. Is that ethically more deserving than:
a) A village collective in Scotland making the same products and retraining previously unemployed people in new skills, or
b) A commercial company making these products in Scotland.
Both of these alternatives have the clear advantage of not having a carbon footprint to ship (or worse still fly) the Fairtrade products around the world. The Fairtrade website has a stab at addressing this dilemma here.
In most instances the way forward is clear - Fairtrade products offer opportunities for workers who are disadvantaged by the conventional trading system, and buying Fairtrade products instead of non-Fairtrade products will create a social benefit. But there are going to be cases where you see for example an attractive Fairtrade side table on a website or in a shop and you then need to ask yourself is it worth it, and should I buy local products instead.
Please do share your thoughts on this by adding a comment.
No comments:
Post a Comment