Is Fair Trade Coffee About Profit, Politics or People?
[[[After reading Trent’s recent post, Saving Money Versus Saving the World, at The Simple Dollar, I thought it was worth revisiting Fair Trade. (See my post from last January on Fair Trade Organic Coffee.)]]]
At first it was part of a grassroots movement to change the world. But now it’s big business. Fair Trade Coffee is the latest buzz, a growing profit maker. Americans’ growing awareness of unfair labor practices abroad has spawned newfound compassion from the big guys, like Starbucks, and even MacDonald’s, compelling them to respond by offering increasing numbers of fair trade options. And the result: more fair trade coffee is being sold than ever before.
The question is, is it enough? Worldwide each year 7 million tons of coffee beans are grown, most of it hand picked. Why shouldn’t it all come from Fair Trade Farms? It should be the norm, not the exception.
But large companies are not motivated by doing the right thing, they’re motivated by stockholders. And many stockholders see profit as King of the Hill.
Now, here’s a chance for we consumers to have input. By rewarding companies for doing the right thing, we can help change the lives of farmers around the world. It’s one individual’s small, yet heroic, deed. 138 billion cups of coffee are consumed by Americans alone each year. If each of us - especially the coffee addicts like me- simply reach for the fair trade, Starbucks and the like, will listen.
I hope you’ll consider it.
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Comment by alreadyconsidered on 21 April 2008:
Well, isn’t it the responsibility of government to ensure businesses do the right thing? Because if it isn’t, we’re letting our government off the hook. Not that I want to suggest the every lazyman’s answer of “oh, it’s the government’s fault”. We are the government. But if we as a government are allowing companies to legally do the wrong thing, our laws our wrong — and THAT is what needs to be addressed.
Corporate social responsibility, on the other hand, is an absolute crock. Fair Trade being a perfect example of giving consumers what they want to hear being a marketing strategy for selling more of their stuff.
The big flaw in a lot of this is that “seeking a profit” is often seen as a social evil. In a system with a financial basis, the task of employing people in decent jobs, giving access to affordable health care, producing useful goods and services to better the quality of living standard, etc. — all these are somehow of no value.
Because if the business of business becomes something other than business, nobody is minding the store.
If you’re a company, don’t sell me some smarm by telling me you’re going to donate $5 to the save the alcoholic whales foundation if we buy your hairspray. Sell that hairspray to me for $6 less, from all the efficiencies without having to administer all that, and expect me as a responsible consumer to get off of my lazy ass and write a check once in a while to the charity of my choice. Just focus on making as good and legal a product as you can and pass the savings on to me, OK?
Comment by Trackbacks on 3 July 2008: