May 13, 2009 0 comments

Fair Trade on TV

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During Fair Trade Fortnight, it's almost normal to see shows on this topic on TV.
So yesterday, it was on France 5 with the documentary "Equitable: at what cost?".
Here's the summary of the show taken from the France 5 website:


Long confined to charity sales and 'bobo' shops, fair trade products have, in just a few years, become mainstream products. They are now available in supermarkets. All brands have jumped on board, with unexpected growth: a 40% increase in sales per year. After coffee and chocolate, the range has diversified widely to establish itself in all aisles, from cosmetics to flowers, bananas to jeans. The civic-minded consumer can, in principle, congratulate themselves on this militant breakthrough in the business world. Logically, the more the wealthy consume ethically, the more poor farmers, finally paid a fair price, will gain access to development. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Certainly, the growth of the ethical market allows small cooperatives to develop their production and expand. But at what cost? Two worlds, two logics attempt to coexist. On one side, the need for volume, on the other, the desire to produce on a human scale, respecting people and nature. To understand who benefits from this coexistence, here is a comparative history of three chocolate bars made from Ecuadorian cocoa beans. It reveals many contradictions between large-scale distribution and fair trade because ultimately, whatever the profession of faith of large brands, for them it is only about making money.


To summarize quickly and very broadly, it was more based on the place of Fair Trade in supermarkets.
This is a question that, as a consumer-activist, I ask myself too often: if fair trade certified products are found in supermarkets, does it not completely lose the meaning of this alternative trade? Because when you see that, deep down, the primary goal of supermarkets is to make profits...
It's a vast debate, but I certainly don't want to fall into the demonization of "good guys and bad guys", which, between us, doesn't advance the discussion!

Finally (even if I think we won't finish so quickly), it's a very interesting report broadcast by France 5 that raises fundamental questions about our consumption, at a time when Sustainable Development and Fair Trade are a trend, what is the reality for small producers in the South?

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