Fair Trade Bug Repellent? Says Who?

I did some shopping this weekend, and I got a surprise at Whole Foods. My local store finally got Fair Trade certified bananas! While they weren't from my preferred brand, Oke, I decided to buy a bunch. This was my effort to register with the store manager that I am glad she or he paid attention to those comment cards I placed in the suggestion box. The voice inside my head, though, started to chide, “Are those bananas from plantations, or small family farmers?”

Ignoring that din because, hey, it was a three-day weekend, I headed to a local nursery in search of my favorite tomato plant. At the counter, a display proclaiming Fair Trade citronella caught my eye. A company was trying to get me to buy a "Brazilian twist" on inspect repellent. Apparently the company is a big supporter of "community trade." (Again the voices in my head: "oh, lord, not another type of trade!") Apparently I could avoid bugs AND do right by the indigenous people of the Amazonian rain forest. I picked up a brochure but not any products.

Now that I am settled back at home, I see from the company materials that they do seem to push all the right buttons around supporting the "tribes of the Amazon Co-op." Because the company buys the natural oils and medicinal plants that end up in its incense and candles, the community has an establish trading partner. The company is concerned with community needs like dental clinics and schools. Because all the harvesting is sustainable, the company is also very green and doing its part to help the planet and its people.

Or so the marketing materials want me to believe. Now, let me be clear, I know nothing about this company besides what its promotional materials tell me. But my critical eye is noticing a couple of nuances. First off, like most of us, I am interested in quality. But on closer inspection the product I was interested in is not really being sold. The “point of purchase” materials tout citronella, which I think most of us agree suggests, “bug repellent.” Yet the product descriptions say nothing about keeping bugs away, only about achieving “peaceful patio environments.”

And, what about the "community trade" and this Amazon co-op? If the products are “fair” that implies a fair price was paid to the farmers and gatherers of the rain forest plants. In the Fair Trade system, these wages and premiums would be distributed through a democratic association structure. Fair Trade co-ops are usually affiliated with an umbrella group such as the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) or the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations. Yet no such affiliations were made on the materials. How do I know that the Amazon co-op isn’t just a creation of the company, kind of life an off shore bank, that allows it to make claims about its social responsibility values?

When I was at Whole Foods, the bananas had a label from TransFair USA indicating that the value chain that brought that piece of fruit from a Colombian farm had been independently certified to meet internationally agreed upon standards. A few aisles away there was a kiosk for Fair Trade crafts and the company, World of Good, noted on its sign that it was a member of the WFTO. Those signifiers—while not guaranteeing perfection in a value chain—allowed me to have some confidence about the companies I was doing business with.

One of the bright sides of our economic crisis has been a marked appreciation for the role of regulation in our financial institutions. We have seen—tragically in some cases—what happens when the logic of the market and the imperatives of profit making are allowed to reign free of limits and scrutiny. In economic justice movements, too, we need mechanisms for setting standards and verifying claims. A label or a seal won’t tell you everything—like who owns the bananas I bought this weekend—but these markers do give you some guidance in deciphering promotional claims. Our Fair Trade institutions exist to keep the movement honest and strong. Pretty promotional materials and carefully chosen buzz words don’t get us closer to fair and sustainable trade, rules and regulations do.

Fair Trade Trips, Finns, and Futures

One of my first official Fair Trade gatherings was the 2002 convening of the NEWS! (Network of European World Shops) conference in Belgium. It was there that I met a delegation from Finland, who shared with modest pride the story of a cargo ship—dubbed Estelle—destined with humanitarian supplies for Angola. Although I don’t recall the names of any of the Finns I spoke to, I remember clearly how friendly they were to me (the only American at the conference in post-9/11 days) and how earnest they were about the symbolism and the impact of a Fair Trade journey from their country's shores to Africa.

Those good people of Finland have been on my mind this month as the United States has endeavored to win back from Finland the record for World’s Largest Fair Trade Break. I did my part at an event in Hyattsville, Maryland, hosted by the Book Nook and featuring Ten Thousand Villages from Alexandria, Virginia. Although the results won’t be out for another week or so, there is a small part of my American heart rooting for the Finns to retain the record.


But beyond friendly competition, the occasion of World Fair Trade Day got me reflecting on the Fair Trade movement. I was bemused, flipping through the NEWS! conference agenda dated by seven years, to see topics that are still relevant today:

• The Definition of Fair Trade (I recently posted about "who owns the Fair Trade movement" and "ownership" connotes controlling definitions)
• The Impact of Fair Trade (The topic of a chapter in my 2007 book was "Yes, But Does It Work?" )
• Fair Trade in Supermarkets: Threat or Opportunity (we could just replace the word “supermarket" with "big box stores”)
• Fair Trade: A Model or Symbol (the familiar debate of are we reforming the market system or replacing it with an alternative)

In fact, some of these topics were conspired at the Fair Trade Futures conference I helped convene in 2005 in Chicago.

Does this mean that the Fair Trade movement is stuck, asking the same questions over and over but not getting anywhere? Or is this a reflection of how young the movement is—asking itself essential questions of identity and power? For me, I think it is a little bit of both. But more that that, it is a sign that the movement is small and still shaped by a relative handful of organizations and individuals, here and around the world. We keep having conferences—and I am working to make another event happen here in the States in 2010—for a couple of reasons: some questions are perennial and unanswerable, for one thing. Also, the movement is young and attracting fresh interest in different communities throughout the world. And, to expand and diversify, the movement needs events and meeting places to attract new voices and views.

At the 2002 conference in Belgium, someone at a plenary challenged, “We say we are a movement, let’s move!” With another successful World Fair Trade Day celebrated in 80 countries, I think we can take satisfaction that we are moving forward. Maybe we are slow, like a cargo ship, but we have creativity, commitment. Millions of struggling artisans and farmers are willing to join us on the journey.

Books, balls, and making a bang for World Fair Trade Day

World Fair Trade Day events on or around Saturday, May 9th are quickly approaching! Here in the Washington, DC-Maryland-Virginia area, we have a couple of opportunities to make a big bang for Fair Trade!

I will be returning to my old neighborhood of Hyattsville, Maryland to participate in an event at the independent bookstore, Book Nook. I'll be discussing responsible consumerism with folks who drop by from 1:00 to 3:00. Also, Ten Thousand Villages of Alexandria will be selling crafts, coffee, and chocolate from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Free coffee and chocolate samples will be available!


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From that event, I may head over to the Fair Trade Soccer/Basketball Game & Takoma Fair Trade Tour, from 2:00pm to 4:00pm starting at the Takoma Recreation Center, 300 Van Buren St. (at 3rd St.) NW Washington, DC 20011. Here's the announcement for that event:

Play fair! Join Fair Trade Sports representative April Thompson and FTRN Executive Director Jeff Goldman in a fun game (basketball or soccer, depending on court/field availability and interest of participants) using fair trade balls. No experience necessary! Afterwards, we will have an informal presentation about Fair Trade Sports and FTRN, and follow these Takoma residents on a walking tour of the many great fair trade businesses in the area. Note that we will start at the Takoma Recreation Center (meet at the basketball courts at the corner of Van Buren and 3rd) and move on from there. Please contact April at 202-321-3245/prillytee "at" gmail.com for more info or if you want to join us mid-stream and want to find out where we are in our neighborhood tour.

If you aren't in this area, please check with the Fair Trade Resource Network for events in your area. Even if you can't attend a public event, you can take a pledge to take a break for Fair Trade in your own home. Hopefully together we can set a new World's record for Fair Trade!