Approaching maturity, Fair Trade faces challenges at both ends of the supply chain, reflecting the dual roles of Fair Trade as a business and development instrument. Who should supply the Fair Trade market, what support do producers require and what is the impact of the relationship between Fair...

The paper explores the factors that are pushing the development of ethical trade and also the potential constraints.

Fair trade critiques the historical inequalities inherent in international trade and seeks to promote social justice by creating alternative networks linking marginalized producers (typically in the global South) with progressive consumers (typically in the global North). The first of its kind,...

Standards organizations and NGOs have begun to refer to “fair carbon” projects, and “fairly traded” carbon credits. “Fairness” is a fuzzy notion, subject to multiple and competing interpretations. This paper draws on a framing used by standards organizations, which encompasses issues...

The rise of private standards, including those involving multi-stakeholder processes, raises questions about whose interests are served and the kind of power that is exerted to maintain these interests. This paper critically examines the battle for ideas—the way competing factions assert their...

This paper proposes a heuristic model that aims to render more visible tensions concerning the role of business or the invisible hand of the market with respect to development. Fair trade is used as an exemplar to explore the relevance of this model, highlighting the tensions apparent in using...

With the advent of mainstreaming, several different business models operate within the fair trade system. These differences are discussed in terms of how the value chain is governed, suggesting the need for a more nuanced understanding of fair trade in the mainstream. Institutional governance,...

Whilst its promoters believe that there are numerous benefits to be gained by many producers from ethical trade, some stakeholders in the South see ethical trade schemes as protectionist. This paper examines the World Trade Organization rules that relate to the environmental and social standards...