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Coop Coffees participates in Fair Trade Panel
In the current Fair Trade market, as box stores move in and companies all claim a stake in corporate social responsibility, the consumer is often left with confusing or mixed messages as to which claim or label is "legitimate." With all the different definitions of "fair" and "responsible," it's quite the challenge for businesses to know what they want to be associated with and for consumers to know what to trust. In a discussion hosted by a local NGO in Montreal, key actors of the Fair Trade and responsible consumption movements -- Coop Coffees included -- addressed these issues and the various perspectives at play.
Earlier this month, Equiterre – a local Montreal NGO dedicated to “promoting ecological and socially just choices” across the city – organized and hosted a panel discussion entitled “Fair Trade: what are the guarantees?” The six invited panelists each spoke about the different certification bodies and associations that are out there for the consumer to choose from. These days, if a company wants to make it big – or make it, period – they better have the some version of “corporate responsibility” or “eco-friendly” stamped on their products' packaging. In the current North American market, the emerging trend of wanting to feel good about what we purchase (or in some cases, wanting to not feel guilty) in terms of following some kind of environmental and social standards. The spectrum of conscientious consumers is wide: on one end, there's the “give-me-a-logo-I-trust-and-I’ll-buy-it” outlook and further down the line, the highly engaged and inquisitive consumer who seeks to learn beyond the label. Apparently, defining a “responsible” purchase is neither an easy task nor a terminable one!
Hugues Tshibemba from TransFair Canada presented the certification system for the most widely recognized – and also the most contentious – Fair Trade mark. Ten years ago, when the concept of “alternative” trade was taking off in North America, Transfair USA emerged as a labeling initiative of its international Fair Trade “mother,” FLO. Since then, Fair Trade has crept into the mainstream market, enticing marketing directors with its nearly fool-proof ability to boost a company’s reputation. But many people have expressed concern over the “watering down” effect that results from inviting large corporations who have a minimal percentage certified while maximizing their “Fair Trade” exposure. Hugues calmly explained that a licensing initiative like Transfair Canada is not out to judge companies in their general practices but to certify products that meet certain criteria. It is the consumer's responsibility to judge a company and discern whether its policies for their Fair Trade products and otherwise, matches the consumer's own values.
But consumer discernment notwithstanding, the market for certification is one that is clearly growing. FLO/Transfair is no longer the only certifying scheme out there, as the Montreal panel showed. Utz Certified is a newer actor and though it doesn’t claim to necessarily be among the “Fair Trade” variety, it seems to encourage the broadest notion of corporate responsibility...McDonalds and Ikea being among their registered members.
EcoCert originated in Europe but has offices now all over the world. The company certifies products – namely food, textiles, and cosmetics – with an emphasis on environmental standards and a growing concern for fairer trade principles.
Terry Solly from Ten Thousand Villages spoke about WFTO and their “Sustainable Fair Trade Management System” (SFTMS) which is the new standard-setting system...still very much in the works. WFTO hopes the SFTMS will respond to the artisan world’s request for a standard – and label – that recognizes their participation in Fair Trade in a more formal way
Cooperative Coffees was invited to speak about the Fair Trade Federation which is an association of organizations dedicated to fully incorporating Fair Trade principles in their way of doing business, as opposed to applying them to a small selection of certified products. Many of our members are also members of the FTF which has done a wonderful job in creating a very accessible network across North America of Fair Trade importers, business-owners, and NGOs.
After a few hours of discussion and debate, the audience, all Fair Traders in one way or another, may not have been able to claim which label was "better" or which system was more "secure;" but it certainly opened the door -- as these conversations so often do -- to deeper analysis of the movement and its current status.
