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[Presentation at the Research Workshop ‘Fairtrade, History and Governance’, 8 July 2011, QMUL & University of York]

Summary

In this paper I present a reassessment of trading partnerships within the Fair Trade model. I propose an alternative historical interpretation of the mainstreaming of Fair Trade and challenge the existing narrative that depicts the seemingly inevitable dilution of Fair Trade’s original values and co-optation by corporate interests. The focus of this paper is on Fair Trade organisations based in Britain, it builds on research undertaken as part of my PhD. The general conclusions may be more broadly applicable, but there is still further work needed in order understand the differences and distinct national characters of the Fair Trade movement as it has developed in Europe, USA, Australia and the producer countries of the global South.

[Talk given at Solihull Fairtrade event, 'Getting down to Fairtrade Business', 7 March 2011, Solihull]

Introduction: Business drivers for change

The successful mainstreaming of the FAIRTRADE Mark has been acclaimed as one of the most significant retail trends of the past decade. With sales growing at an annual rate of 40 per cent and total retail sales reaching £1.17bn in 2010, Britain has become the leading European Fairtrade market. This success has prompted speculation as to why Fairtrade has taken root so firmly in Britain?

Many commentators in answering this question have looked to the British consumer. Journalists have reported that, ‘Britons over the past decade have become a nation of ethical shoppers.’ Some have looked to investigate, ‘How consumer power sparked a Fairtrade revolution on our high streets.’ Fairtrade’s success in mobilising consumer support has certainly been impressive, but is this the full story?

In this talk I’d like to question whether consumer demand alone can really provide an adequate explanation for the growth of Fairtrade in Britain. By looking beyond the ‘ethical shopping trolley’, I suggest that there is an opportunity to explore in greater detail why businesses choose to engage with Fair Trade.

[Presentation at the Research Workshop “Do Values Make a Difference? Co-operatives – moving from the Rochdale Pioneers to the 21st Century”, 1 - 2 July 2009, Manchester & Rochdale]

Introduction

In recent years, the Co-op has claimed to be the ‘Champion of Fairtrade’ in the mainstream. The figures go some way to support this claim: in 1999 The Co-operative introduced Fairtrade products into all 1,450 grocery stores. Total Fairtrade sales at the Co-operative have risen from £100,000 in 1998 to £21 million in 2004. And in recent years, this has contributed to returning £1.25 million annually in Fairtrade premiums to the producers. The Co-operative has also been clear about its future commitment, stating that: ‘Our goal is that, eventually all Co-op products from developing countries will be fairly traded and that fair trade ingredients are used more and more in our standard products.’

Academics studying Fair Trade have frequently looked to the Co-op as an important driver of change and have identified the Co-op as a ‘naturally sympathetic retail ally’. Comparisons have frequently been drawn between the values and principles of the nineteenth century Rochdale Pioneers and the Fair Trade principles. In this paper I will argue that the connections between Fair Trade and the Co-operative are more complex than is often acknowledged and that attempting to trace any direct links to nineteenth century co-operators is potentially problematic.

Scholars would perhaps do well to take note of Dr. Saxena, former Director of the ICA, when he stated that ‘Consumer organisations are generally interested in the lowest prices, while farmers want the highest'. It is perhaps surprisingly that this simple, yet fundamental dilemma, has so often been overlooked by academics when approaching the study of the British Co-operative movement’s involvement with Fairtrade.