May
29
2012
Ethical Fashion, Fair Trade, and All the Controversy In Between
Melissa
Empower Women, Ethical Fashion
Ethical Fashion, Ethix Merch, fair trade, Fair Trade USA, Fairtrade International
2
We added some new vendors to our ethical fashion page.
It’s hard to imagine an opponent to fair trade. No one wants people exploited to make their stuff (we do want cheap stuff, but that’s another story).
But as consumer demand grows (yippee!), sometimes-opposing forces pull at the fair trade movement. It’s a time of change for fair trade—which, as usual, can result in positive and negative effects. Right now, I’d say the verdict is still out. Fair Trade USA (fairly recently split from Fairtrade International) is still very much in the process of figuring out what it stands for.
Here’s a bit of what’s going on: Fair trade’s initial goal was to empower underdeveloped communities by providing fair wages and safe working conditions. But as the federations behind fair trade (which are more economically and politically driven than you might think) want to increase their supply of fair trade–labeled merchandise, they’re turning to large corporations. While there’s still a focus on ethical production, the focus is shifting away from empowering the men, women, and communities of the underdeveloped world. And many worry that as corporations have more of a voice in fair trade, smaller businesses will suffer. Some also worry that the changes could cause fair trade to go from being something that helps to something that does not harm.
So what’s it mean for consumers? There are many elements at work: human rights, economic development, and small vs. large business—plus the classics, supply and demand. How you respond depends on your motives and priorities, but as usual it’s important to know what you’re getting. Fair trade certification will likely always mean that no slave labor was involved in creating a product. But if you’re not a fan of big business or you want to be certain your purchases empower people, the certification may start to irk you more and more.
But fear not, fair trade is not the only way to be an ethical shopper. While fair trade may face turmoil, ethical options are becoming increasingly available (and fashionable and affordable!). Our ethical fashion page has many ethical options that aren’t fair trade certified. Ethix Merch points out the ethical standards of unions that have been producing clothes in the US for generations (unions that may be threatened by the expansion of fair trade–certification—read their extensive look at this topic here and here).
For me, ethical fashion is about people. I want people to be empowered by the purchases I make, and I absolutely never want people marginalized or hurt by what I buy. If this can all be done through a larger corporation, that’s fine by me—but history shows that small business tend to have the most positive impact.
Learn about ethical fashion.
Shop products made by survivors of human trafficking.
Be a part of the solution: Be part of Stop Traffick Fashion.
About Melissa
Jun 01, 2012 5:36 pm
Good observations here. I also feel torn about the big companies vs small in ethical purchasing. With the large businesses I’m always a bit suspicious as to just how ethical their product/process is–exactly how much of their soul did the certifying group have to sell to the devil to bring them into the fair trade fold? It’s reminiscent of decades ago when the big box companies started gaining a foothold in mom and pop neighborhoods, often because local politics/economic factors overrode loyalty to the small businesses.
On another note, I’m relatively new to the fair trade movement and find the ever-growing federations, foundations, societies around fair trade confusing. While each one appears to have a legitimate cause and justification for their efforts, I can see undercurrents of politics and veiled references to “they’re wrong, we’re right”. I guess it’s good for fair trade/ethical shopping to have all the discussion popping up. I just hope everyone keeps the marginalized artisan/worker in the forefront of all discussions and efforts.
Jun 04, 2012 1:20 pm
Hi Stephanie – Thanks for your comments! I find it can be confusing, as well, but the important thing is to continue to educate ourselves so we can make the most informed decisions possible. And STF definitely agrees that we want to keep the marginalized workers at the forefront – our goal is empowering them for a more sustainable future!