Ethical Consumerism and the Fair Trade Movement in Britain 1960 - 2006.

In recent years Fairtrade has achieved a significant presence in the media and within the consumer conscience of British shoppers. This has led to greater academic attention, particularly in the fields of social and economic research. But despite this academic interest, the historical roots of the movement remain significantly under-researched and misunderstood.

This paper will explore some of the main historical developments that have shaped the formation of the fair trade movement in Britain from the early 1960s to the present day.

In particular, I am interested in how ethical consumption patterns have come to influence international trade and production processes. This paper will focus on the networks of consumers, NGOs and religious groups that worked together to promote a model of ethical consumption that sought to benefit producers in the Global South. This research explores the central, if sometimes problematic, position of the consumer at the heart of the fair trade movement. And in doing so, looks to further develop the concepts of consumer responsibility and political consumption within a historical context.

The historical development of the fair trade consumer movement in Britain will be placed within a wider international context by drawing on examples from the rest of Europe and also Australia.

It is also hoped that this paper may be of relevance to some of the wider socio-economic debates within late twentieth century British historiography, such as secularisation, the rise of corporate social responsibility and globalisation.