Customer Reviews

Fair Trade: Market-Driven Ethical Consumption

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I've used this book dozens of times as a reference to speeches I've given at a Fair Trade shop to educate customers. In and around the year 2004, it was the Fair Trade Bible. Well researched, all-inclusive and not overly academic (with one exception being the chapter on Marketing - maybe I just have to brush up on my Marketing knowledge).

Now, most of the conclusions that were drawn from the book may still be valid but the statistics need massive updating. Perhaps new conclusions depending upon the updated statistics.

One huge draw back is the book is so expensive for nothing more than a paper back. I've only had it for about a month and the cover is already starting to curl.

But again, if you want Fair Trade 101, look no further. If you wish to become an expert, there is no book that can do that, but this is a solid first step.

This is a decent book. There aren't any particularly mind-blowing moments where you'll be likely to say "Wow! I never thought of it that way before!" (or at least I didn't have any) but it does do a good job of developing a broadly sympathetic but critical portrayal of fair trade. In particular it's refreshingly honest in its discussion of how fair trade really is a form of neoliberal response to market issues and problems, which can get lost easily in sort of wishy-washy but vaguely progressive rhetoric that circulate around fair trade. In other words, fair trade exists as a response to various political and social issues which falls clearly within the logic of capitalism, with all the problems and contradictions that entails. For instance, how efficient fair trade products in increasing wages of agricultural laborers (as opposed to simply a catch all category of `producers' that obscures the international wage dynamics of production firms)? Most evidence seems to say not very. But taking a serious look at the contradictions and tensions of fair trade (which as, the authors put it, both in and against the market) does not preclude appreciating the very real even if limited political and social value such steps represent. So on that level a decent text indeed.